Rep. C. Scott Franklin Sells Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) Shares

Representative C. Scott Franklin (R-Florida) recently sold shares of Merck & Co., Inc. NYSE: MRK. In a filing disclosed on July 14th, the Representative disclosed that they had sold between $1,001 and $15,000 in Merck & Co., Inc. stock on June 16th. The trade occurred in the Representative's "FIDELITY JOINT TBE" account.

Representative C. Scott Franklin also recently made the following trade(s):

• Sold $15,001 - $50,000 in shares of Visa NYSE: V on 6/16/2025.
• Sold $15,001 - $50,000 in shares of Apple NASDAQ: AAPL on 6/16/2025.
• Sold $1,001 - $15,000 in shares of Alphabet NASDAQ: GOOG on 6/16/2025.
• Sold $15,001 - $50,000 in shares of McDonald's NYSE: MCD on 6/16/2025.
• Sold $1,001 - $15,000 in shares of United Parcel Service NYSE: UPS on 6/16/2025.
• Sold $15,001 - $50,000 in shares of Johnson & Johnson NYSE: JNJ on 6/16/2025.
• Sold $15,001 - $50,000 in shares of Walmart NYSE: WMT on 6/16/2025.
• Sold $15,001 - $50,000 in shares of Berkshire Hathaway NYSE: BRK.B on 6/16/2025.
• Sold $15,001 - $50,000 in shares of Home Depot NYSE: HD on 6/16/2025.
• Sold $1,001 - $15,000 in shares of Kenvue NYSE: KVUE on 6/16/2025.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Down 1.9%

Shares of NYSE:MRK traded down $1.55 on Friday, hitting $79.97. 11,654,241 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 13,503,365. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 52 week low of $73.31 and a 52 week high of $128.73. 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 stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $79.37 and a 200-day simple moving average of $85.79. The company has a market cap of $200.81 billion, a PE ratio of 11.64, a PEG ratio of 0.83 and a beta of 0.39.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last announced 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. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 43.23% and a net margin of 27.27%. The firm had revenue of $15.53 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $15.59 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $2.07 earnings per share. The company's quarterly revenue was down 1.6% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts expect that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 earnings per share for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, July 8th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 16th were issued a dividend of $0.81 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 16th. This represents a $3.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.05%. Merck & Co., Inc.'s payout ratio is presently 47.16%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Merck & Co., Inc.

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Legend Financial Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the second quarter worth about $25,000. Barnes Dennig Private Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. in the 1st quarter valued at about $27,000. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC increased its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 141.7% in the 1st quarter. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC now owns 377 shares of the company's stock valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 221 shares during the period. WealthTrak Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. in the 4th quarter valued at about $35,000. Finally, MorganRosel Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. in the 1st quarter valued at about $36,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.07% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, SVP Dalton E. Smart III sold 4,262 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, April 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $82.76, for a total transaction of $352,723.12. Following the sale, the senior vice president owned 7,778 shares of the company's stock, valued at $643,707.28. The trade was a 35.40% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.13% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently issued reports on MRK shares. Wall Street Zen cut Merck & Co., Inc. from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, April 25th. Citigroup restated a "neutral" rating and set a $84.00 price target (down previously from $115.00) on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Wednesday, May 14th. Cantor Fitzgerald cut Merck & Co., Inc. from an "overweight" rating to a "cautious" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 20th. Guggenheim reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $115.00 target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Thursday, April 17th. Finally, Morgan Stanley decreased their price target 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. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have given a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $108.69.

About Representative Franklin

Scott Franklin (Republican Party) is a member of the U.S. House, representing Florida's 18th Congressional District. He assumed office on January 3, 2023. His current term ends on January 3, 2027. Franklin (Republican Party) is running for re-election to the U.S. House to represent Florida's 18th Congressional District. He declared candidacy for the 2026 election. Scott Franklin was born in Thomaston, Georgia. Franklin graduated from Lakeland High School. He served in the U.S. Navy from 1986 to 2000 and the U.S. Navy Reserve from 2000 to 2012. Franklin earned a B.S. from the United States Naval Academy in 1986 and an M.B.A. from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in 1994. Franklin's career experience includes owning an insurance agency and working as a naval aviator with the U.S. Navy.

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.