Merck & Co., Inc. (MRK) Set to Announce Earnings on Thursday

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) is scheduled to post its quarterly earnings results before the market opens on Thursday, April 25th. Analysts expect Merck & Co., Inc. to post earnings of $2.12 per share for the quarter. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2024 guidance at 8.440-8.590 EPS and its FY24 guidance at $8.44 to $8.59 EPS.Individual that are interested in participating in the company's earnings conference call can do so using this link.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 1st. The company reported $0.03 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.09) by $0.12. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 0.61% and a return on equity of 9.33%. The company had revenue of $14.63 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $14.49 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.62 EPS. Merck & Co., Inc.'s revenue for the quarter was up 5.8% compared to the same quarter last year. 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. Stock Performance

MRK traded down $0.19 during trading on Thursday, reaching $125.18. 5,984,255 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 8,315,480. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 1 year low of $99.14 and a 1 year high of $133.10. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89, a current ratio of 1.25 and a quick ratio of 1.00. The stock has a market capitalization of $317.08 billion, a P/E ratio of 894.14, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.62 and a beta of 0.38. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $126.17 and its 200-day simple moving average is $114.84.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, April 5th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 15th were given a dividend of $0.77 per share. This represents a $3.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.46%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 14th. Merck & Co., Inc.'s dividend payout ratio is presently 2,200.00%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Merck & Co., Inc. news, EVP Steven Mizell sold 50,694 shares of Merck & Co., Inc. stock in a transaction on Friday, February 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $126.65, for a total transaction of $6,420,395.10. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 23,619 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,991,346.35. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. In other news, insider Joseph Romanelli sold 1,000 shares of Merck & Co., Inc. stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $124.89, for a total transaction of $124,890.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 19,569 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,443,972.41. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Steven Mizell sold 50,694 shares of Merck & Co., Inc. stock in a transaction on Friday, February 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $126.65, for a total value of $6,420,395.10. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 23,619 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,991,346.35. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.20% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Merck & Co., Inc.

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of MRK. Aspect Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. in the 4th quarter valued at about $78,000. Coppell Advisory Solutions LLC acquired a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the second quarter worth about $87,000. PCA Investment Advisory Services Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the second quarter worth about $96,000. Fortis Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the fourth quarter worth about $109,000. Finally, Cowa LLC acquired a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the first quarter worth about $130,000. 76.07% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on the stock. TheStreet cut shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a "b+" rating to a "c+" rating in a research note on Monday, March 4th. UBS Group raised their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $135.00 to $148.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, February 2nd. Barclays raised their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $135.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, February 2nd. Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and set a $135.00 price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Thursday. Finally, Berenberg Bank raised their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $140.00 to $143.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, April 8th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating, eight have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $131.25.

About Merck & Co., Inc.

Merck & Co, Inc operates as a healthcare company worldwide. It operates through two segments, Pharmaceutical and Animal Health. The Pharmaceutical segment offers human health pharmaceutical products in the areas of oncology, hospital acute care, immunology, neuroscience, virology, cardiovascular, and diabetes under the Keytruda, Bridion, Adempas, Lagevrio, Belsomra, Simponi, and Januvia brands, as well as vaccine products consisting of preventive pediatric, adolescent, and adult vaccines under the Gardasil/Gardasil 9, ProQuad, M-M-R II, Varivax, RotaTeq, Live Oral, Vaxneuvance, Pneumovax 23, and Vaqta names.