RNC Capital Management LLC Increases Stake in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Key Points

• RNC Capital Management LLC increased its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 36.7%, now holding 393,687 shares valued at approximately $35.34 million.
• Merck's recent earnings report showed a net margin of 25.79% and earnings per share (EPS) of $2.13, surpassing analysts' expectations.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.81, reflecting an annualized dividend yield of 3.8%, with a payout ratio of around 49.92%.

RNC Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 36.7% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 393,687 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 105,798 shares during the period. RNC Capital Management LLC's holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $35,337,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in MRK. Foundation Wealth Management LLC PA raised its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.4% in the 1st quarter. Foundation Wealth Management LLC PA now owns 5,361 shares of the company's stock worth $481,000 after purchasing an additional 127 shares in the last quarter. Saiph Capital LLC increased its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 3.7% in the 1st quarter. Saiph Capital LLC now owns 3,565 shares of the company's stock worth $320,000 after acquiring an additional 128 shares in the last quarter. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC increased its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.6% in the 1st quarter. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC now owns 5,197 shares of the company's stock worth $466,000 after acquiring an additional 130 shares in the last quarter. Tilson Financial Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.7% in the 1st quarter. Tilson Financial Group Inc. now owns 4,965 shares of the company's stock worth $446,000 after acquiring an additional 132 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Perkins Coie Trust Co increased its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.3% in the 1st quarter. Perkins Coie Trust Co now owns 6,021 shares of the company's stock worth $540,000 after acquiring an additional 136 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.07% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages recently issued reports on MRK. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $99.00 to $98.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, July 10th. Cantor Fitzgerald lowered shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from an "overweight" rating to a "cautious" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 20th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $97.00 to $90.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, July 30th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have assigned a Buy rating, twelve have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Merck & Co., Inc. currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $107.44.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE MRK traded down $2.28 during trading on Friday, reaching $82.87. 9,931,826 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 11,151,134. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $82.93 and a 200-day simple moving average of $82.85. The company has a quick ratio of 1.17, a current ratio of 1.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. The stock has a market capitalization of $206.99 billion, a PE ratio of 12.77, a P/E/G ratio of 0.87 and a beta of 0.37. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 52-week low of $73.31 and a 52-week high of $119.38.

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

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, October 7th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.81 per share. This represents a $3.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 15th. Merck & Co., Inc.'s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 49.92%.

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.