Cantor Fitzgerald Issues Negative Forecast for MRK Earnings

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) - Research analysts at Cantor Fitzgerald reduced their FY2025 EPS estimates for Merck & Co., Inc. in a report issued on Wednesday, July 9th. Cantor Fitzgerald analyst C. Gould now anticipates that the company will earn $8.66 per share for the year, down from their prior estimate of $8.88. Cantor Fitzgerald currently has a "Cautious" rating on the stock. The consensus estimate for Merck & Co., Inc.'s current full-year earnings is $9.01 per share. Cantor Fitzgerald also issued estimates for Merck & Co., Inc.'s FY2026 earnings at $9.55 EPS.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The company reported $2.22 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.16 by $0.06. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 27.27% and a return on equity of 43.23%. The firm had revenue of $15.53 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $15.59 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $2.07 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was down 1.6% compared to the same quarter last year.

MRK has been the subject of a number of other research reports. Morgan Stanley decreased their target price 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. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, April 25th. Guggenheim reissued a "buy" rating and set a $115.00 target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Thursday, April 17th. Finally, Citigroup reissued a "neutral" rating and set a $84.00 target price (down previously from $115.00) on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Wednesday, May 14th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have given a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $108.69.

Merck & Co., Inc. Trading Down 0.8%

Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. stock traded down $0.67 on Thursday, hitting $83.35. The stock had a trading volume of 9,716,130 shares, compared to its average volume of 13,445,339. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $79.08 and a 200 day moving average of $86.40. Merck & Co., Inc. has a twelve month low of $73.31 and a twelve month high of $129.03. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 1.16 and a current ratio of 1.41. The firm has a market capitalization of $209.29 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.13, a PEG ratio of 0.87 and a beta of 0.39.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Merck & Co., Inc.

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of MRK. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 29.5% during 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 in the last quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC lifted its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 39.4% during the 4th quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC now owns 15,479 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,540,000 after acquiring an additional 4,373 shares in the last quarter. American Assets Inc. bought a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. during the 4th quarter valued at $398,000. Pzena Investment Management LLC bought a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. during the 4th quarter valued at $288,000. Finally, AGF Management Ltd. lifted its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 26.6% during the 4th quarter. AGF Management Ltd. now owns 34,800 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,462,000 after acquiring an additional 7,319 shares in the last quarter. 76.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In related news, SVP Dalton E. Smart III sold 4,262 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, April 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $82.76, for a total value of $352,723.12. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 7,778 shares in the company, valued at $643,707.28. This trade represents a 35.40% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 0.13% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, July 8th. Investors of record on Monday, June 16th were issued a $0.81 dividend. This represents a $3.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.89%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 16th. Merck & Co., Inc.'s dividend payout ratio is currently 47.16%.

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.