Wesbanco Bank Inc. Sells 4,855 Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Key Points

• Wesbanco Bank Inc. reduced its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 1.4%, selling 4,855 shares, and now owns 351,604 shares valued at approximately $27.83 million.
• Several institutional investors have increased their stakes in Merck, with notable increases from McLean Asset Management Corp and Foundation Wealth Management LLC.
• Merck recently announced a quarterly dividend of $0.81 per share, representing an annual yield of 3.9%, with the payment set for October 7th.

Wesbanco Bank Inc. lessened its position in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 1.4% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 351,604 shares of the company's stock after selling 4,855 shares during the period. Merck & Co., Inc. comprises 0.8% of Wesbanco Bank Inc.'s portfolio, making the stock its 23rd largest holding. Wesbanco Bank Inc.'s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $27,833,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. McLean Asset Management Corp lifted its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 3.7% in the second quarter. McLean Asset Management Corp now owns 3,543 shares of the company's stock worth $292,000 after buying an additional 125 shares in the last quarter. Foundation Wealth Management LLC PA lifted its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.4% in the first quarter. Foundation Wealth Management LLC PA now owns 5,361 shares of the company's stock worth $481,000 after buying an additional 127 shares in the last quarter. Saiph Capital LLC lifted its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 3.7% in the first quarter. Saiph Capital LLC now owns 3,565 shares of the company's stock worth $320,000 after buying an additional 128 shares in the last quarter. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC lifted its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.6% during the first quarter. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC now owns 5,197 shares of the company's stock valued at $466,000 after purchasing an additional 130 shares during the period. Finally, Tilson Financial Group Inc. lifted its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.7% during the first quarter. Tilson Financial Group Inc. now owns 4,965 shares of the company's stock valued at $446,000 after purchasing an additional 132 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 76.07% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on MRK shares. Cantor Fitzgerald downgraded shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from an "overweight" rating to a "cautious" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 20th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered 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 research report on Wednesday, July 30th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on shares of 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, twelve have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $107.44.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Down 2.7%

Shares of MRK stock opened at $82.87 on Friday. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 12 month low of $73.31 and a 12 month high of $119.38. The stock has a market cap of $206.99 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.77, a P/E/G ratio of 0.87 and a beta of 0.37. The company has a current ratio of 1.42, a quick ratio of 1.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $82.93 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $82.81.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last announced 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 net margin of 25.79% and a return on equity of 41.05%. The business 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. On average, research analysts expect that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 earnings per share 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 dividend of $0.81 per share. This represents a $3.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 15th. Merck & Co., Inc.'s dividend payout ratio is currently 49.92%.

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.

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