Sylvest Advisors LLC Grows Stock Holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Key Points

• Sylvest Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 150.7% during the second quarter, now owning 11,612 shares valued at approximately $919,000.
• Merck reported earnings of $2.13 EPS for the last quarter, exceeding analysts' expectations, but had a revenue of $15.81 billion, slightly under the consensus estimate.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.81 per share, representing a dividend yield of 4.1% and a payout ratio of 49.92%.

Sylvest Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 150.7% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 11,612 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 6,981 shares during the period. Merck & Co., Inc. makes up approximately 0.5% of Sylvest Advisors LLC's holdings, making the stock its 20th largest position. Sylvest Advisors LLC's holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $919,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. McLean Asset Management Corp increased its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 3.7% during the second quarter. McLean Asset Management Corp now owns 3,543 shares of the company's stock valued at $292,000 after acquiring an additional 125 shares in the last quarter. Cora Capital Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.4% during the second quarter. Cora Capital Advisors LLC now owns 5,343 shares of the company's stock valued at $423,000 after acquiring an additional 125 shares in the last quarter. Foundation Wealth Management LLC PA increased its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.4% during the first quarter. Foundation Wealth Management LLC PA now owns 5,361 shares of the company's stock valued at $481,000 after acquiring an additional 127 shares in the last quarter. Saiph Capital LLC increased its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 3.7% during the first quarter. Saiph Capital LLC now owns 3,565 shares of the company's stock valued at $320,000 after acquiring an additional 128 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. increased its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.9% during the second quarter. Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 4,587 shares of the company's stock valued at $363,000 after acquiring an additional 128 shares in the last quarter. 76.07% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Merck & Co., Inc. Trading Down 0.4%

NYSE:MRK opened at $79.62 on Thursday. 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. has a 12 month low of $73.31 and a 12 month high of $116.02. The company has a market cap of $198.88 billion, a PE ratio of 12.27, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.82 and a beta of 0.37. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $82.63 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $82.21.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, July 29th. The company reported $2.13 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates 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 during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $15.92 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2025 guidance at 8.870-8.970 EPS. Research 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 disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, October 7th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 15th will be given a dividend of $0.81 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 15th. This represents a $3.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.1%. Merck & Co., Inc.'s payout ratio is presently 49.92%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MRK has been the subject of several analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company reduced 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 report on Wednesday, July 30th. Berenberg Bank downgraded shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and reduced their price target for the company from $100.00 to $90.00 in a research report on Wednesday, September 17th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reduced 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 research report on Thursday, July 10th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have assigned a Buy rating, thirteen have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $106.41.

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.

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.