Merck & Co., Inc. (MRK) Projected to Post Quarterly Earnings on Tuesday

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) is projected to release its Q2 2025 earnings data before the market opens on Tuesday, July 29th. Analysts expect Merck & Co., Inc. to post earnings of $2.03 per share and revenue of $15.92 billion for the quarter.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The company reported $2.22 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.16 by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $15.53 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $15.59 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 43.23% and a net margin of 27.27%. The firm's quarterly revenue was down 1.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company posted $2.07 EPS. On average, analysts expect Merck & Co., Inc. to post $9 EPS for the current fiscal year and $10 EPS for the next fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Price Performance

NYSE MRK traded down $0.17 on Thursday, reaching $83.81. 4,449,508 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 15,857,111. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $79.66 and its 200 day simple moving average is $85.52. The company has a quick ratio of 1.16, a current ratio of 1.41 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. The company has a market cap of $210.46 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.21, a P/E/G ratio of 0.85 and a beta of 0.39. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 12 month low of $73.31 and a 12 month high of $128.73.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, October 7th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.81 per share. This represents a $3.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.87%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 15th. Merck & Co., Inc.'s payout ratio is currently 47.16%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have issued reports on MRK. Cantor Fitzgerald lowered Merck & Co., Inc. from an "overweight" rating to a "cautious" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 20th. Citigroup reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and set a $84.00 price target (down from $115.00) on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Wednesday, May 14th. Wall Street Zen lowered Merck & Co., Inc. from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, April 25th. Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $99.00 to $98.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, July 10th. Finally, Guggenheim reissued a "buy" rating and set a $115.00 price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Thursday, April 17th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have issued a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $108.69.

Insider Activity at Merck & Co., Inc.

In other news, SVP Dalton E. Smart III sold 4,262 shares of the firm's 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 completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 7,778 shares of the company's stock, valued at $643,707.28. This trade represents a 35.40% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 0.13% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Merck & Co., Inc.

An institutional investor recently raised its position in Merck & Co., Inc. stock. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 29.5% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 38,278 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 8,710 shares during the period. Brighton Jones LLC's holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $3,808,000 as of its most recent SEC filing. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.07% of the company's stock.

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.