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

Representative Gilbert Ray Cisneros, Jr. (D-California) recently sold shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK). In a filing disclosed on June 06th, the Representative disclosed that they had sold between $1,001 and $15,000 in Merck & Co., Inc. stock on May 30th. 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):

• Sold $15,001 - $50,000 in shares of SpringWorks Therapeutics NASDAQ: SWTX on 7/1/2025.
• Purchased $1,001 - $15,000 in shares of AppLovin NASDAQ: APP on 7/1/2025.
• Sold $1,001 - $15,000 in shares of Amdocs NASDAQ: DOX on 6/30/2025.
• Purchased $1,001 - $15,000 in shares of CoStar Group NASDAQ: CSGP on 6/30/2025.
• Purchased $15,001 - $50,000 in shares of CoStar Group NASDAQ: CSGP on 6/27/2025.
• Purchased $1,001 - $15,000 in shares of Xiaomi OTCMKTS: XIACF on 6/27/2025.
• Sold $1,001 - $15,000 in shares of ASML NASDAQ: ASML on 6/27/2025.
• Sold $1,001 - $15,000 in shares of Willis Towers Watson Public NASDAQ: WTW on 6/26/2025.
• Sold $1,001 - $15,000 in shares of Boston Scientific NYSE: BSX on 6/26/2025.
• Sold $1,001 - $15,000 in shares of Liberty Media Corporation - Liberty Formula One Series C NASDAQ: FWONK on 6/26/2025.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Down 0.7%

Shares of NYSE:MRK traded down $0.58 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $79.39. The company had a trading volume of 2,773,812 shares, compared to its average volume of 13,461,752. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 1.41 and a quick ratio of 1.16. Merck & Co., Inc. has a one year low of $73.31 and a one year high of $128.73. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $79.37 and its 200-day moving average price is $85.70. The stock has a market capitalization of $199.34 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.56, 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 the consensus estimate 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 company had revenue of $15.53 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $15.59 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $2.07 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was down 1.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts expect that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, July 8th. Investors of record on Monday, June 16th were paid a $0.81 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 16th. This represents a $3.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.08%. Merck & Co., Inc.'s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 47.16%.

Institutional Trading of Merck & Co., Inc.

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Tallon Kerry Patrick bought a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $365,000. Brighton Jones LLC increased its position in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 8,710 shares during the last quarter. Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA purchased a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. during the fourth quarter valued at $26,350,000. Absher Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 17.9% in the fourth quarter. Absher Wealth Management LLC now owns 8,229 shares of the company's stock worth $819,000 after buying an additional 1,248 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Tyche Wealth Partners LLC increased its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 64.3% during the fourth quarter. Tyche Wealth Partners LLC now owns 12,756 shares of the company's stock worth $1,269,000 after acquiring an additional 4,991 shares during the last quarter. 76.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have commented on the stock. Citigroup reiterated a "neutral" rating and issued a $84.00 price target (down from $115.00) on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Wednesday, May 14th. Guggenheim restated a "buy" rating and set a $115.00 price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Thursday, April 17th. Cantor Fitzgerald downgraded Merck & Co., Inc. from an "overweight" rating to a "cautious" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 20th. Wall Street Zen downgraded Merck & Co., Inc. from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, April 25th. Finally, Morgan Stanley cut their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $99.00 to $98.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, July 10th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have assigned 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, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $108.69.

Insider Transactions at Merck & Co., Inc.

In other news, SVP Dalton E. Smart III sold 4,262 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the senior vice president directly owned 7,778 shares in the company, valued at approximately $643,707.28. This represents a 35.40% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.09% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.

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.

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