RFG Advisory LLC Lowers Stock Holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Key Points

• RFG Advisory LLC has reduced its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 24.3%, now owning 48,102 shares worth approximately $3.8 million.
• Merck's recent quarterly earnings exceeded estimates, reporting $2.13 EPS against a consensus of $2.03, with a revenue of $15.81 billion.
• The company declared a $0.81 quarterly dividend, which equates to an annual yield of 3.8% and a payout ratio of 49.92%.

RFG Advisory LLC lowered its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 24.3% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 48,102 shares of the company's stock after selling 15,467 shares during the quarter. RFG Advisory LLC's holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $3,808,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Legend Financial Advisors Inc. bought a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. in the 2nd quarter worth about $25,000. Barnes Dennig Private Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. in the 1st quarter worth about $27,000. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC grew its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 141.7% in the 1st quarter. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC now owns 377 shares of the company's stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 221 shares in the last quarter. MorganRosel Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. in the 1st quarter worth about $36,000. Finally, Chung Wu Investment Group LLC bought a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. in the 2nd quarter worth about $45,000. 76.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Performance

Shares of MRK stock opened at $84.82 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $211.86 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.07, a PEG ratio of 0.94 and a beta of 0.37. The company's 50 day moving average is $83.67 and its 200 day moving average is $81.42. The company has a quick ratio of 1.17, a current ratio of 1.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 52-week low of $73.31 and a 52-week high of $111.58.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 29th. The company reported $2.13 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.03 by $0.10. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 25.79% and a return on equity of 41.05%. The business had revenue of $15.81 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $15.92 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2025 guidance at 8.870-8.970 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, October 7th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 15th were issued a $0.81 dividend. This represents a $3.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, September 15th. Merck & Co., Inc.'s payout ratio is currently 49.92%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have commented on the stock. Citigroup assumed coverage on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Monday. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $95.00 target price on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $97.00 to $90.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, July 30th. Weiss Ratings restated a "hold (c-)" rating on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Morgan Stanley dropped their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $99.00 to $98.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, July 10th. Finally, Berenberg Bank lowered shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and cut their price objective for the company from $100.00 to $90.00 in a report on Wednesday, September 17th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have given a Buy rating, fourteen have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Merck & Co., Inc. presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $105.00.

Merck & Co., Inc. Profile

Merck & Co, Inc is a health care company, which engages in the provision of health solutions through its prescription medicines, vaccines, biologic therapies, animal health, and consumer care products. It operates through the following segments: Pharmaceutical, Animal Health, and Other. The Pharmaceutical segment includes human health pharmaceutical and vaccine products.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding MRK? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report).

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.