The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company Sells 1,265,675 Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Key Points

• The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company decreased its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 24.9%, owning 3,812,525 shares worth $342.21 million after selling 1,265,675 shares in the first quarter.
• Merck's recent quarterly earnings report showed $2.13 earnings per share, surpassing analysts' estimates, although revenue missed expectations at $15.81 billion.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.81 per share, set to be paid on October 7th, reflecting an annualized dividend yield of 3.9%.

The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company lessened its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 24.9% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 3,812,525 shares of the company's stock after selling 1,265,675 shares during the quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company owned approximately 0.15% of Merck & Co., Inc. worth $342,212,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Barnes Dennig Private Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the first quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Spurstone Advisory Services LLC acquired a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $37,000. MorganRosel Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the first quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Minot DeBlois Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $45,000. Finally, Mpwm Advisory Solutions LLC acquired a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $45,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.07% of the company's stock.

Merck & Co., Inc. Price Performance

NYSE:MRK traded up $0.92 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $84.13. 10,870,371 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 10,934,819. The company has a market capitalization of $210.14 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.96, a P/E/G ratio of 0.89 and a beta of 0.37. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 1-year low of $73.31 and a 1-year high of $120.30. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 1.42 and a quick ratio of 1.17. The business has a 50 day moving average of $82.14 and a 200 day moving average of $82.97.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last released its 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 return on equity of 41.05% and a net margin of 25.79%.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. Research analysts forecast that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 EPS for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, October 7th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.81 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 15th. This represents a $3.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.9%. Merck & Co., Inc.'s dividend payout ratio is presently 49.92%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have recently commented on MRK shares. Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $99.00 to $98.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, July 10th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $97.00 to $90.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, July 30th. Cantor Fitzgerald downgraded Merck & Co., Inc. from an "overweight" rating to a "cautious" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 20th. Finally, Citigroup reissued a "neutral" rating and set a $84.00 price target (down previously from $115.00) on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Wednesday, May 14th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have assigned a Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $107.44.

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.