Smead Capital Management Inc. Acquires 34,356 Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Key Points

• Smead Capital Management Inc. increased its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 1.0% during the first quarter, bringing its total ownership to 3,334,566 shares, valued at approximately $299 million.
• Merck's stock price currently stands at $83.24, with a fifty-two week high of $120.30 and a low of $73.31.
• Analysts have issued varied ratings for Merck, with the average rating at "Hold" and a consensus price target of $107.44, reflecting mixed expectations for the company's performance.

Smead Capital Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 1.0% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 3,334,566 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 34,356 shares during the quarter. Merck & Co., Inc. makes up 5.1% of Smead Capital Management Inc.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 5th largest position. Smead Capital Management Inc. owned approximately 0.13% of Merck & Co., Inc. worth $299,311,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. TD Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 7.3% during the 1st quarter. TD Capital Management LLC now owns 2,366 shares of the company's stock valued at $212,000 after acquiring an additional 160 shares in the last quarter. Tema Etfs LLC increased its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 245.5% during the 1st quarter. Tema Etfs LLC now owns 39,190 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,518,000 after acquiring an additional 27,848 shares in the last quarter. Trexquant Investment LP increased its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 1,314.5% during the 1st quarter. Trexquant Investment LP now owns 415,961 shares of the company's stock valued at $37,337,000 after acquiring an additional 386,555 shares in the last quarter. Gerber Kawasaki Wealth & Investment Management increased its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 7.1% during the 1st quarter. Gerber Kawasaki Wealth & Investment Management now owns 7,060 shares of the company's stock valued at $634,000 after acquiring an additional 467 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Huber Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 123.2% during the 1st quarter. Huber Capital Management LLC now owns 45,293 shares of the company's stock valued at $4,066,000 after acquiring an additional 25,000 shares in the last quarter. 76.07% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on MRK shares. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $97.00 to $90.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, July 30th. Citigroup reiterated a "neutral" rating and set a $84.00 price target (down from $115.00) on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Wednesday, May 14th. Cantor Fitzgerald downgraded shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from an "overweight" rating to a "cautious" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 20th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lowered 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 report on Thursday, July 10th. One equities research 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. According to MarketBeat.com, Merck & Co., Inc. has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $107.44.

Merck & Co., Inc. Trading Up 1.1%

Shares of MRK traded up $0.92 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $84.13. The company had a trading volume of 10,870,371 shares, compared to its average volume of 10,934,819. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $82.14 and its 200-day simple moving average is $82.97. 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 1-year low of $73.31 and a 1-year high of $120.30. The stock has a market cap of $210.14 billion, a PE ratio of 12.96, a P/E/G ratio of 0.89 and a beta of 0.37.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last released its 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 analysts' expectations of $15.92 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2025 guidance at 8.870-8.970 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 earnings per share for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

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

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.