Syntax Research Inc. Sells 30,028 Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Key Points

• Syntax Research Inc. has significantly reduced its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc., selling 30,028 shares and now owning only 4,006 shares, which are valued at $317,000.
• Several institutional investors, including Peoples Financial Services CORP. and McLean Asset Management Corp, have increased their positions in Merck, indicating varied investor sentiment.
• Merck's stock has experienced rating adjustments from analysts, with Berenberg Bank lowering its price target from $100 to $90 and a consensus price target currently at $106.41.

Syntax Research Inc. decreased its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 88.2% in the second quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 4,006 shares of the company's stock after selling 30,028 shares during the period. Syntax Research Inc.'s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $317,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in MRK. Peoples Financial Services CORP. grew its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.5% during the second quarter. Peoples Financial Services CORP. now owns 22,778 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,803,000 after buying an additional 122 shares during the last quarter. McLean Asset Management Corp grew its holdings 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 buying an additional 125 shares during the last quarter. Cora Capital Advisors LLC grew its holdings 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 buying an additional 125 shares during the last quarter. Foundation Wealth Management LLC PA grew its holdings 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 buying an additional 127 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Saiph Capital LLC grew its holdings 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 buying an additional 128 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 76.07% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on MRK shares. Berenberg Bank cut shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and cut their price target for the company from $100.00 to $90.00 in a report on Wednesday, September 17th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $97.00 to $90.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, July 30th. Finally, Morgan Stanley dropped their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $99.00 to $98.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, July 10th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have issued a Buy rating, thirteen have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $106.41.

Merck & Co., Inc. Trading Down 0.8%

Shares of MRK stock opened at $89.45 on Friday. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 12-month low of $73.31 and a 12-month high of $112.08. 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 firm's 50 day moving average is $82.78 and its 200 day moving average is $81.73. The stock has a market capitalization of $223.41 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.78, a P/E/G ratio of 0.93 and a beta of 0.37.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last issued 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 company 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. Research analysts expect that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 earnings per share for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, October 7th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.81 per share. This represents a $3.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.6%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 15th. Merck & Co., Inc.'s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 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.

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