VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al Makes New Investment in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Key Points

• Virginia Retirement Systems acquired 1,455,238 shares of Merck & Co., Inc., valued at approximately $115.2 million, making it the company's 18th largest holding.
• Merck's stock was reported at $84.78 with a market cap of $211.76 billion, showing a return on equity of 41.05% and a net margin of 25.79%.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.81, resulting in an annualized yield of 3.8%, with a payout ratio of approximately 49.92%.

VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al acquired a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm acquired 1,455,238 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $115,197,000. Merck & Co., Inc. comprises approximately 0.8% of VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al's holdings, making the stock its 18th largest holding. VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al owned about 0.06% of Merck & Co., Inc. as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of MRK. Brighton Jones LLC raised its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 29.5% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 38,278 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,808,000 after acquiring an additional 8,710 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 12.4% in the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 48,267 shares of the company's stock valued at $4,332,000 after purchasing an additional 5,337 shares during the period. ORG Wealth Partners LLC lifted its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 1,026.8% during the 1st quarter. ORG Wealth Partners LLC now owns 631 shares of the company's stock valued at $55,000 after buying an additional 575 shares in the last quarter. Advisor Resource Council purchased a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the first quarter worth $888,000. Finally, Evanson Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 6.5% in the first quarter. Evanson Asset Management LLC now owns 3,499 shares of the company's stock worth $314,000 after acquiring an additional 215 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.07% of the company's stock.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Performance

Merck & Co., Inc. stock opened at $84.78 on Friday. Merck & Co., Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $73.31 and a fifty-two week high of $109.92. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 1.17 and a current ratio of 1.42. The stock has a market cap of $211.76 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.06, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.93 and a beta of 0.37. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $83.91 and its 200-day moving average price is $81.35.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, July 29th. The company reported $2.13 EPS for the quarter, beating 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 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. On average, equities research analysts expect that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MRK has been the subject of several recent research reports. Berenberg Bank cut Merck & Co., Inc. from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and reduced their price target for the company from $100.00 to $90.00 in a research report on Wednesday, September 17th. Citigroup initiated coverage on Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Monday, October 13th. They set a "neutral" rating and a $95.00 price target on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target 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 cut their price target 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. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a "hold (c-)" rating on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have issued a Buy rating, thirteen have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target 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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