Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK Shares Sold by Thematics Asset Management

Key Points

• Thematics Asset Management has reduced its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE: MRK) by 33.5%, bringing its holdings to approximately $4.40 million after selling 24,642 shares.
• Merck reported $2.13 earnings per share (EPS) for the last quarter, exceeding estimates, and has set its FY 2025 guidance for EPS between 8.870 - 8.970.
• The company recently declared a quarterly dividend of $0.81 per share, representing an annualized dividend of $3.24 and a yield of 3.7%.

Thematics Asset Management lowered its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 33.5% during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 49,015 shares of the company's stock after selling 24,642 shares during the quarter. Thematics Asset Management's holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $4,400,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in MRK. Barnes Dennig Private Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. during the first quarter worth about $27,000. Spurstone Advisory Services LLC acquired a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. in the 4th quarter valued at about $37,000. MorganRosel Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. in the 1st quarter valued at about $36,000. Marshall & Sterling Wealth Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the 4th quarter valued at about $44,000. Finally, Minot DeBlois Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $45,000. 76.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Performance

NYSE:MRK traded down $0.84 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $83.24. 14,478,858 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 15,312,849. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 1-year low of $73.31 and a 1-year high of $120.30. The company has a quick ratio of 1.17, a current ratio of 1.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. The firm has a market capitalization of $207.90 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.83, a P/E/G ratio of 0.90 and a beta of 0.38. The company has a 50-day moving average of $81.96 and a 200 day moving average of $83.04.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 29th. The company reported $2.13 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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 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 anticipate 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 issued a $0.81 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 15th. This represents a $3.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.9%. Merck & Co., Inc.'s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 49.92%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on MRK. 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 on the stock in a report on Wednesday, July 30th. Morgan Stanley dropped their target price on 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. Cantor Fitzgerald downgraded Merck & Co., Inc. from an "overweight" rating to a "cautious" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 20th. Finally, Citigroup reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and set a $84.00 price objective (down from $115.00) on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Wednesday, May 14th. One research 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's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Merck & Co., Inc. presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $107.44.

Merck & Co., Inc. 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.