Rep. Gilbert Ray Cisneros, Jr. Purchases Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK)

Representative Gilbert Ray Cisneros, Jr. (D-California) recently bought shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK). In a filing disclosed on May 06th, the Representative disclosed that they had bought between $1,001 and $15,000 in Merck & Co., Inc. stock on April 29th. The trade occurred in the Representative's "150 MAIN STREET TRUST > BANK OF AMERICA" account.

Representative Gilbert Ray Cisneros, Jr. also recently made the following trade(s):

• Purchased $1,001 - $15,000 in shares of Beiersdorf Aktiengesellschaft OTCMKTS: BDRFF on 5/2/2025.
• Purchased $1,001 - $15,000 in shares of Alkami Technology NASDAQ: ALKT on 4/30/2025.
• Sold $1,001 - $15,000 in shares of DXC Technology NYSE: DXC on 4/29/2025.
• Sold $1,001 - $15,000 in shares of DOW NYSE: DOW on 4/29/2025.
• Sold $1,001 - $15,000 in shares of Zions Bancorporation, National Association NASDAQ: ZION on 4/29/2025.
• Purchased $1,001 - $15,000 in shares of O'Reilly Automotive NASDAQ: ORLY on 4/29/2025.
• Purchased $1,001 - $15,000 in shares of McKesson NYSE: MCK on 4/29/2025.
• Sold $1,001 - $15,000 in shares of Amazon.com NASDAQ: AMZN on 4/29/2025.
• Sold $1,001 - $15,000 in shares of Humana NYSE: HUM on 4/29/2025.
• Purchased $1,001 - $15,000 in shares of Kinder Morgan NYSE: KMI on 4/29/2025.

Merck & Co., Inc. Trading Up 0.1 %

Shares of MRK stock opened at $79.09 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $198.60 billion, a PE ratio of 11.75, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.77 and a beta of 0.43. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.79, a current ratio of 1.36 and a quick ratio of 1.15. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $85.91 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $93.72. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 1 year low of $75.93 and a 1 year high of $134.63.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 24th. The company reported $2.22 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.16 by $0.06. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 26.67% and a return on equity of 45.35%. The company had revenue of $15.53 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $15.59 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $2.07 earnings per share. Merck & Co., Inc.'s quarterly revenue was down 1.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts predict that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 earnings per share for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock buyback program on Tuesday, January 28th that authorizes the company to buyback $10.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the company to purchase up to 4.1% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are typically a sign that the company's board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have issued reports on MRK shares. BMO Capital Markets decreased their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $105.00 to $96.00 and set a "market perform" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. Bank of America decreased their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $118.00 to $112.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, February 5th. Truist Financial reissued a "hold" rating and set a $110.00 target price (down from $130.00) on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. Leerink Partners decreased their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $136.00 to $119.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Monday, January 13th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald started coverage on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Tuesday, April 22nd. They set a "neutral" rating and a $85.00 price target for the company. Twelve research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and three have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Merck & Co., Inc. currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $111.13.

Institutional Trading of Merck & Co., Inc.

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. CGN Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.4% in the 4th quarter. CGN Advisors LLC now owns 26,969 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,683,000 after acquiring an additional 102 shares during the last quarter. Cypress Wealth Services LLC boosted its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 3.1% in the fourth quarter. Cypress Wealth Services LLC now owns 3,639 shares of the company's stock valued at $362,000 after purchasing an additional 111 shares during the last quarter. TI Trust Inc. grew its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.6% during the 4th quarter. TI Trust Inc. now owns 19,834 shares of the company's stock worth $1,973,000 after purchasing an additional 111 shares during the period. Hengehold Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.3% during the 4th quarter. Hengehold Capital Management LLC now owns 39,989 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,978,000 after buying an additional 112 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Peterson Wealth Services lifted its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.5% in the 4th quarter. Peterson Wealth Services now owns 21,479 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,137,000 after buying an additional 113 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.07% of the company's stock.

Insider Transactions at Merck & Co., Inc.

In related news, SVP Dalton E. Smart III sold 4,262 shares of Merck & Co., Inc. stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the senior vice president now owns 7,778 shares in the company, valued at $643,707.28. The trade was a 35.40 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.13% of the company's stock.

About Representative Cisneros

Gil Cisneros (Democratic Party) is a member of the U.S. House, representing California's 31st Congressional District. He assumed office on January 3, 2025. His current term ends on January 3, 2027. Cisneros (Democratic Party) is running for re-election to the U.S. House to represent California's 31st Congressional District. He declared candidacy for the 2026 election. Gil Cisneros served in the U.S. Navy as a supply officer from 1994 to 2004. Cisneros earned a bachelor's degree in political science from George Washington University in 1994, a master's in business administration from Regis University in 2002, and a master's degree in urban education policy from Brown University in 2015. His career experience includes working as a logistics manager for Frito-Lay. In 2010, Cisneros won the lottery and became involved in activism and philanthropy, founding a scholarship program for local high school students. In 2021, President Joe Biden (D) appointed Cisneros as under secretary of defense for personnel and readiness.

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.

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