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Strata Wealth Advisors LLC Takes Position in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Merck & Co., Inc. logo with Medical background

Key Points

  • Strata Wealth Advisors LLC has acquired a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc., purchasing 2,912 shares valued at approximately $231,000 during the 2nd quarter.
  • Recent analysis from various equity firms has led to multiple downgrades for Merck's stock, with Berenberg Bank lowering their price target from $100 to $90 and changing their rating from "buy" to "hold."
  • Merck & Co., Inc. reported $2.13 earnings per share for the last quarter, surpassing the consensus estimate and maintaining strong profitability, with a net margin of 25.79%.
  • Five stocks we like better than Merck & Co., Inc..

Strata Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm acquired 2,912 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $231,000.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in MRK. Legend Financial Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the 2nd quarter worth about $25,000. Barnes Dennig Private Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the 1st quarter worth about $27,000. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC increased its holdings in shares of 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 buying an additional 221 shares during the last quarter. MorganRosel Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the 1st quarter worth about $36,000. Finally, Advantage Trust Co increased its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 57.1% in the 2nd quarter. Advantage Trust Co now owns 550 shares of the company's stock worth $44,000 after buying an additional 200 shares during the last quarter. 76.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts recently commented on MRK shares. Berenberg Bank cut shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and dropped their price target for the stock 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 for the company in a research note on Wednesday, July 30th. Weiss Ratings reissued a "hold (c-)" rating on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Morgan Stanley lowered 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 report on Thursday, July 10th. Finally, Citigroup started coverage on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Monday, October 13th. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $95.00 price objective for the company. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have assigned a Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $104.33.

View Our Latest Stock Analysis on MRK

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Up 0.0%

Shares of MRK traded up $0.03 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $87.64. The company's stock had a trading volume of 368,155 shares, compared to its average volume of 14,713,595. The company's 50-day moving average is $84.28 and its 200-day moving average is $81.43. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 52-week low of $73.31 and a 52-week high of $106.62. The firm has a market capitalization of $218.91 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.47, a PEG ratio of 0.96 and a beta of 0.37. The company has a current ratio of 1.42, a quick ratio of 1.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69.

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 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 firm had revenue of $15.81 billion during 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. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Profile

(Free Report)

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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Institutional Ownership by Quarter for Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK)

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.

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