Shore Point Advisors LLC Sells 4,675 Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Key Points

• Shore Point Advisors LLC has reduced its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 33.5%, selling 4,675 shares in Q2, bringing its total to 9,297 shares valued at $736,000.
• Merck recently announced a quarterly dividend of $0.81 per share with an annualized yield of 4.0%, payable on October 7th to shareholders on record by September 15th.
• The company's stock has shown significant volatility, with a 12-month high of $119.38 and a low of $73.31, while earnings per share for the last quarter exceeded analyst estimates.

Shore Point Advisors LLC lessened its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 33.5% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 9,297 shares of the company's stock after selling 4,675 shares during the quarter. Shore Point Advisors LLC's holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $736,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in MRK. Barnes Dennig Private Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $27,000. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC increased its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 141.7% during the 1st quarter. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC now owns 377 shares of the company's stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 221 shares during the period. MorganRosel Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Spurstone Advisory Services LLC acquired a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $37,000. Finally, Mpwm Advisory Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $45,000. Institutional investors own 76.07% of the company's stock.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Performance

NYSE MRK opened at $81.07 on Tuesday. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $82.93 and a 200 day simple moving average of $82.68. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 12-month low of $73.31 and a 12-month high of $119.38. The company has a current ratio of 1.42, a quick ratio of 1.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. The company has a market cap of $202.50 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.49, a PEG ratio of 0.85 and a beta of 0.37.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 29th. The company reported $2.13 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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. Sell-side analysts predict that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, October 7th. Shareholders 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 yield of 4.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 15th. Merck & Co., Inc.'s payout ratio is currently 49.92%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have weighed in on the stock. Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $99.00 to $98.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, July 10th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $97.00 to $90.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, July 30th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald downgraded shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from an "overweight" rating to a "cautious" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 20th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have given a Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $107.44.

Merck & Co., Inc. Company 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.

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