Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB Trims Position in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Key Points

• Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB has decreased its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 4.7%, leaving it with 280,292 shares valued at approximately $22.18 million.
• Merck's stock, trading at $85.64, has shown a 1-year high of $111.58 and a low of $73.31, with a market cap of $213.90 billion.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.81 per share, reflecting a 3.8% yield and a payout ratio of nearly 50%.

Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB trimmed its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 4.7% in the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 280,292 shares of the company's stock after selling 13,849 shares during the period. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB's holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $22,188,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the business. Legend Financial Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. in the second quarter valued at about $25,000. Barnes Dennig Private Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. in the first quarter valued at about $27,000. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC lifted 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 valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 221 shares during the period. MorganRosel Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. in the first quarter valued at about $36,000. Finally, Chung Wu Investment Group LLC acquired a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. in the second quarter valued at about $45,000. 76.07% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Merck & Co., Inc. Trading Down 0.4%

Shares of MRK opened at $85.64 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 1.42 and a quick ratio of 1.17. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $83.58 and a 200-day simple moving average of $81.40. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 1-year low of $73.31 and a 1-year high of $111.58. The stock has a market cap of $213.90 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.19, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.88 and a beta of 0.37.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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 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. Equities analysts forecast that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, October 7th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 15th were paid a dividend of $0.81 per share. This represents a $3.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, September 15th. Merck & Co., Inc.'s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 49.92%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MRK has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $99.00 to $98.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, July 10th. Berenberg Bank downgraded shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and reduced their price objective for the company from $100.00 to $90.00 in a research report on Wednesday, September 17th. Citigroup assumed coverage on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Monday. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $95.00 target price for the company. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $97.00 to $90.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, July 30th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "hold (c-)" rating on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have given a Buy rating, fourteen have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Merck & Co., Inc. currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $105.00.

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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