Talon Private Wealth LLC Buys 3,044 Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Key Points

• Talon Private Wealth LLC has significantly increased its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 14,495.2%, acquiring an additional 3,044 shares, bringing its total to 3,065 shares valued at approximately $275,000.
• As of the most recent reporting, institutional investors own 76.07% of Merck's stock, indicating strong institutional interest.
• Merck's most recent earnings report showed a strong performance with an EPS of $2.13, surpassing analyst expectations of $2.03 despite revenue slightly below consensus estimates.

Talon Private Wealth LLC grew its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 14,495.2% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 3,065 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 3,044 shares during the quarter. Talon Private Wealth LLC's holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $275,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Teza Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. during the 1st quarter worth about $1,439,000. UniSuper Management Pty Ltd raised its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 1.1% during the 1st quarter. UniSuper Management Pty Ltd now owns 894,509 shares of the company's stock worth $80,291,000 after buying an additional 9,800 shares during the period. Scientech Research LLC bought a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. in the first quarter valued at approximately $794,000. Raab & Moskowitz Asset Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 4.2% during the first quarter. Raab & Moskowitz Asset Management LLC now owns 58,653 shares of the company's stock worth $5,265,000 after buying an additional 2,346 shares during the period. Finally, Petrus Trust Company LTA grew its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 110.0% in the first quarter. Petrus Trust Company LTA now owns 7,465 shares of the company's stock valued at $670,000 after purchasing an additional 3,910 shares in the last quarter. 76.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Down 0.7%

Shares of MRK stock traded down $0.55 on Wednesday, hitting $84.06. The stock had a trading volume of 11,567,946 shares, compared to its average volume of 11,077,182. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 12-month low of $73.31 and a 12-month high of $119.38. The business has a 50 day moving average of $82.81 and a 200 day moving average of $82.95. The stock has a market cap of $209.96 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.95, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.87 and a beta of 0.37. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 1.42 and a quick ratio of 1.17.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 29th. The company reported $2.13 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 analyst estimates of $15.92 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2025 guidance at 8.870-8.970 EPS. As a group, analysts expect that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 EPS 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 is Monday, September 15th. Merck & Co., Inc.'s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 49.92%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on MRK shares. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price 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. Cantor Fitzgerald downgraded shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from an "overweight" rating to a "cautious" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 20th. Citigroup reiterated a "neutral" rating and issued a $84.00 target price (down previously from $115.00) on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Wednesday, May 14th. Finally, Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on 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. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have given a Buy rating, twelve have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Merck & Co., Inc. currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $107.44.

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.