YHB Investment Advisors Inc. Decreases Position in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Key Points

• YHB Investment Advisors Inc. has reduced its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 30% by selling 3,678 shares, leaving it with 8,583 shares valued at approximately $679,000.
• Merck's recent quarterly earnings surpassed expectations, with an EPS of $2.13 against an estimated $2.03, although revenue fell short at $15.81 billion.
• Merck & Co., Inc. plans to pay a quarterly dividend of $0.81 per share, reflecting an annualized yield of 4.0% and a payout ratio of 49.92%.

YHB Investment Advisors Inc. reduced its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 30.0% during the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 8,583 shares of the company's stock after selling 3,678 shares during the period. YHB Investment Advisors Inc.'s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $679,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Barnes Dennig Private Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the 1st quarter valued at about $27,000. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC lifted its holdings 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 purchasing 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 about $36,000. MJT & Associates Financial Advisory Group Inc. acquired a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. during the 1st quarter worth $48,000. Finally, Fiduciary Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the 1st quarter worth about $48,000. 76.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have weighed in on the stock. Berenberg Bank downgraded shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and lowered their price target for the company from $100.00 to $90.00 in a report on Wednesday, September 17th. Morgan Stanley lowered 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. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on 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. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six 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 currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $106.41.

Merck & Co., Inc. Trading Up 0.1%

Merck & Co., Inc. stock traded up $0.07 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $80.47. The company had a trading volume of 2,799,515 shares, compared to its average volume of 14,979,416. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 1 year low of $73.31 and a 1 year high of $116.26. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $82.72 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $82.24. 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 firm has a market cap of $201.00 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.39, a P/E/G ratio of 0.84 and a beta of 0.37.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, July 29th. The company reported $2.13 EPS 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 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, sell-side analysts anticipate that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 earnings per share for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, October 7th. Investors 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 4.0%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 15th. Merck & Co., Inc.'s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 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.