Vectors Research Management LLC Has $217,000 Position in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Key Points

• Vectors Research Management LLC significantly reduced its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 81.0% during the 2nd quarter, now holding 2,745 shares valued at $217,000 according to its SEC filing.
• Merck recently reported earnings of $2.13 per share, exceeding expectations, and announced a quarterly dividend of $0.81 per share with a yield of 3.9%.
• Analysts have mixed ratings on MRK, with a range of target prices between $90.00 and $104.33, indicating a generally cautious outlook on the stock.

Vectors Research Management LLC reduced its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 81.0% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 2,745 shares of the company's stock after selling 11,694 shares during the quarter. Vectors Research Management LLC's holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $217,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of MRK. Legend Financial Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the second quarter valued at $25,000. Barnes Dennig Private Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the first quarter valued at $27,000. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC increased its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 141.7% in 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 in the last quarter. MorganRosel Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the first quarter valued at $36,000. Finally, Chung Wu Investment Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the second quarter valued at $45,000. 76.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Merck & Co., Inc. Price Performance

Merck & Co., Inc. stock opened at $83.72 on Friday. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $83.83 and its 200 day simple moving average is $81.40. The stock has a market cap of $209.11 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.90, a P/E/G ratio of 0.92 and a beta of 0.37. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 12-month low of $73.31 and a 12-month high of $110.19. The company has a quick ratio of 1.17, a current ratio of 1.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last posted 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 business 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. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 earnings per share for the current 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 issued a dividend of $0.81 per share. The ex-dividend date was 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%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on MRK shares. Berenberg Bank lowered Merck & Co., Inc. from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and lowered their target price for the company from $100.00 to $90.00 in a research note on Wednesday, September 17th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on 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. Weiss Ratings restated a "hold (c-)" rating on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Citigroup initiated coverage on Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Monday. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $95.00 target price for the company. Finally, Morgan Stanley decreased their price target 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. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have assigned a Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $104.33.

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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