Sterling Investment Advisors Ltd. Sells 3,254 Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Key Points

• Sterling Investment Advisors Ltd. reduced its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 11.1%, selling 3,254 shares and now holding 25,987 shares valued at approximately $2,057,000.
• Merck & Co., Inc. reported earnings of $2.13 EPS for the last quarter, exceeding analyst expectations, with revenue of $15.81 billion.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.81 per share, representing a 4.1% yield, set to be paid on October 7th.

Sterling Investment Advisors Ltd. reduced its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 11.1% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 25,987 shares of the company's stock after selling 3,254 shares during the period. Sterling Investment Advisors Ltd.'s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $2,057,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Legend Financial Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. during the 2nd quarter valued at $25,000. Barnes Dennig Private Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. during the 1st quarter valued at $27,000. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC raised its stake 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 last quarter. MorganRosel Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the 1st quarter valued at $36,000. Finally, MJT & Associates Financial Advisory Group Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the 1st quarter valued at $48,000. 76.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Merck & Co., Inc. Trading Down 0.1%

Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. stock opened at $78.46 on Tuesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $195.98 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.09, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.81 and a beta of 0.37. 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 company has a 50-day simple moving average of $82.51 and a 200 day simple moving average of $81.69. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 12-month low of $73.31 and a 12-month high of $114.79.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results 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 business had revenue of $15.81 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations 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. Research analysts expect that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, October 7th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 15th will be given a $0.81 dividend. This represents a $3.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.1%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 15th. Merck & Co., Inc.'s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 49.92%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MRK has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective 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. Wells Fargo & Company dropped 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. Finally, Berenberg Bank cut shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and dropped their price objective for the company from $100.00 to $90.00 in a research note on Wednesday, September 17th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have assigned a Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $106.41.

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.

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.