Schnieders Capital Management LLC Lowers Holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Key Points

• Schnieders Capital Management LLC decreased its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 31.9% during Q2, resulting in ownership of 8,893 shares worth approximately $704,000.
• Merck reported a $2.13 EPS for the last quarter, exceeding estimates, and set its FY 2025 guidance at 8.870-8.970 EPS, while analysts expect 9.01 EPS for the current year.
• Merck's recent quarterly dividend of $0.81 was paid on October 7th, reflecting an annualized dividend yield of 3.8% with a payout ratio of around 49.92%.

Schnieders Capital Management LLC reduced its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 31.9% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 8,893 shares of the company's stock after selling 4,157 shares during the period. Schnieders Capital Management LLC's holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $704,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of MRK. Legend Financial Advisors Inc. bought a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the second quarter worth approximately $25,000. Barnes Dennig Private Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the first quarter valued at approximately $27,000. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC raised its holdings 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 during the last quarter. MorganRosel Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Finally, Chung Wu Investment Group LLC bought a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $45,000. 76.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Merck & Co., Inc. Trading Up 1.0%

Shares of NYSE:MRK opened at $84.78 on Monday. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $83.91 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $81.31. The stock has a market capitalization of $211.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.06, a PEG ratio of 0.93 and a beta of 0.37. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 52-week low of $73.31 and a 52-week high of $109.92. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 1.17 and a current ratio of 1.42.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 29th. The company reported $2.13 EPS for the quarter, beating 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 firm had revenue of $15.81 billion during 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. Analysts expect that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 EPS for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have recently weighed in on MRK. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on 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. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "hold (c-)" rating on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Berenberg Bank cut shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and lowered their target price for the company from $100.00 to $90.00 in a research note on Wednesday, September 17th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $97.00 to $90.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, July 30th. Finally, Citigroup assumed coverage on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Monday, October 13th. They set a "neutral" rating and a $95.00 price objective for the company. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have issued a Buy rating, thirteen have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $104.33.

About Merck & Co., Inc.

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.

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