West Michigan Advisors LLC Sells 35,956 Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Key Points

• West Michigan Advisors LLC significantly reduced its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 87%, selling 35,956 shares and leaving them with 5,358 shares valued at $428,000.
• Merck reported earnings of $2.13 per share for the last quarter, surpassing analyst expectations of $2.03, with a revenue of $15.81 billion.
• Equities analysts have set a consensus rating of "Hold" on the stock, with a price target averaging $104.33, following recent adjustments from several investment firms.

West Michigan Advisors LLC trimmed its position in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 87.0% in the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 5,358 shares of the company's stock after selling 35,956 shares during the period. West Michigan Advisors LLC's holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $428,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the business. Barnes Dennig Private Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. in the 1st quarter valued at $27,000. Legend Financial Advisors Inc. bought a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. during the second quarter valued at about $25,000. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC raised its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 141.7% in the first quarter. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC now owns 377 shares of the company's stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 221 shares during the period. MorganRosel Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Finally, Fiduciary Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. in the first quarter worth $48,000. 76.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Performance

Shares of MRK opened at $87.46 on Friday. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 12-month low of $73.31 and a 12-month high of $106.49. 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 market cap of $218.45 billion, a PE ratio of 13.50, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.96 and a beta of 0.37. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $84.37 and a 200-day moving average price of $81.48.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last announced its 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 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 analyst estimates of $15.92 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2025 guidance at 8.870-8.970 EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on MRK shares. Citigroup began coverage on Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Monday, October 13th. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $95.00 price objective on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price 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 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. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "hold (c-)" rating on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, Berenberg Bank lowered Merck & Co., Inc. from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and reduced their target price for the company from $100.00 to $90.00 in a report on Wednesday, September 17th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have assigned 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, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $104.33.

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.

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