TD Asset Management Inc Sells 240,683 Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Key Points

• TD Asset Management Inc reduced its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 10.8%, selling 240,683 shares in the second quarter, leaving it with approximately 1,991,252 shares valued at $157.6 million.
• Merck's stock is currently down 1.0%, trading at around $84.82 with a market cap of $211.86 billion and a PE ratio of 13.07.
• The company recently announced a quarterly dividend of $0.81 per share, which equates to an annual yield of 3.8% and a payout ratio of 49.92%.

TD Asset Management Inc trimmed its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 10.8% in the second quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,991,252 shares of the company's stock after selling 240,683 shares during the quarter. TD Asset Management Inc owned about 0.08% of Merck & Co., Inc. worth $157,628,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also bought and sold shares of MRK. Legend Financial Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. in the second quarter worth $25,000. Barnes Dennig Private Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the first quarter valued at about $27,000. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC grew its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 141.7% during the first quarter. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC now owns 377 shares of the company's stock valued at $34,000 after buying an additional 221 shares during the last quarter. MorganRosel Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the first quarter valued at about $36,000. Finally, Chung Wu Investment Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the second quarter valued at about $45,000. 76.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Down 1.0%

Merck & Co., Inc. stock opened at $84.82 on Wednesday. Merck & Co., Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $73.31 and a fifty-two week high of $111.58. The stock has a market cap of $211.86 billion, a PE ratio of 13.07, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.94 and a beta of 0.37. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $83.67 and its 200 day simple moving average is $81.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 1.17 and a current ratio of 1.42.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last released 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. The business had revenue of $15.81 billion for 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 predict that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, October 7th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 15th were paid a $0.81 dividend. This represents a $3.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.8%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, September 15th. Merck & Co., Inc.'s payout ratio is presently 49.92%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on MRK. Morgan Stanley reduced 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 report on Thursday, July 10th. Berenberg Bank cut shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and reduced their price objective for the company from $100.00 to $90.00 in a report on Wednesday, September 17th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced 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 report on Wednesday, July 30th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "hold (c-)" rating on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, Citigroup initiated coverage on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Monday. They set 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, fourteen have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $105.00.

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.

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