Toth Financial Advisory Corp Sells 3,215 Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Key Points

• Toth Financial Advisory Corp significantly reduced its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc., selling 3,215 shares and owning only 539 shares by the end of the second quarter.
• Multiple institutional investors are actively trading Merck shares, with Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increasing its ownership by 144.6% during the first quarter, acquiring over 29 million additional shares.
• The latest earnings report indicated Merck surpassed analysts' earnings expectations with $2.13 EPS, although its revenue fell short of projections, at $15.81 billion.

Toth Financial Advisory Corp trimmed its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 85.6% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 539 shares of the company's stock after selling 3,215 shares during the period. Toth Financial Advisory Corp's holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $43,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Barnes Dennig Private Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the 1st quarter valued at about $27,000. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC increased its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 141.7% in the 1st quarter. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC now owns 377 shares of the company's stock valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 221 shares during the last quarter. MorganRosel Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $36,000. MJT & Associates Financial Advisory Group Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $48,000. Finally, Fiduciary Wealth Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $48,000. 76.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Down 1.3%

Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. stock traded down $1.07 during trading on Monday, reaching $80.44. The stock had a trading volume of 11,982,202 shares, compared to its average volume of 11,707,637. The company has a market capitalization of $200.93 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.39, a P/E/G ratio of 0.84 and a beta of 0.37. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $82.72 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $82.24. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 52 week low of $73.31 and a 52 week high of $118.16. The company has a current ratio of 1.42, a quick ratio of 1.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 29th. The company reported $2.13 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates 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 the consensus estimate of $15.92 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2025 guidance at 8.870-8.970 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, October 7th. Investors of record on Monday, September 15th will be issued a $0.81 dividend. This represents a $3.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.0%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 15th. Merck & Co., Inc.'s dividend payout ratio is presently 49.92%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have issued reports on MRK. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $97.00 to $90.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, July 30th. Berenberg Bank lowered Merck & Co., Inc. from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and dropped their price target for the company from $100.00 to $90.00 in a research report on Wednesday, September 17th. Finally, Morgan Stanley dropped their price target 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. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have assigned a Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Merck & Co., Inc. has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $106.41.

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.