Representative Julie Johnson (D-Texas) recently bought shares of Merck & Co., Inc. NYSE: MRK. In a filing disclosed on July 14th, the Representative disclosed that they had bought between $1,001 and $15,000 in Merck & Co., Inc. stock on June 13th. The trade occurred in the Representative's "CHASE BROKERAGE ACCOUNT (3935)" account.
Representative Julie Johnson also recently made the following trade(s):
- Sold $1,001 - $15,000 in shares of Palantir Technologies NASDAQ: PLTR on 6/30/2025.
- Purchased $1,001 - $15,000 in shares of 3M NYSE: MMM on 6/18/2025.
- Purchased $1,001 - $15,000 in shares of Fidelity National Information Services NYSE: FIS on 5/15/2025.
- Sold $1,001 - $15,000 in shares of Morgan Stanley NYSE: MS on 5/15/2025.
- Purchased $1,001 - $15,000 in shares of Bank of New York Mellon NYSE: BK on 5/15/2025.
- Purchased $1,001 - $15,000 in shares of General Dynamics NYSE: GD on 5/2/2025.
- Purchased $1,001 - $15,000 in shares of Fidelity National Information Services NYSE: FIS on 4/30/2025.
- Purchased $1,001 - $15,000 in shares of Fidelity National Information Services NYSE: FIS on 4/22/2025.
- Sold $1,001 - $15,000 in shares of Blackstone NYSE: BX on 4/22/2025.
- Sold $1,001 - $15,000 in shares of United Parcel Service NYSE: UPS on 4/15/2025.
Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Performance
MRK stock traded down $1.55 during trading on Friday, hitting $79.97. The company had a trading volume of 11,654,241 shares, compared to its average volume of 13,476,747. 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 firm has a 50-day moving average price of $79.37 and a 200-day moving average price of $85.89. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 1-year low of $73.31 and a 1-year high of $128.73. The firm has a market cap of $200.81 billion, a PE ratio of 11.64, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.85 and a beta of 0.39.
Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The company reported $2.22 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.16 by $0.06. The company had revenue of $15.53 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $15.59 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 43.23% and a net margin of 27.27%. The company's revenue was down 1.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.07 earnings per share. On average, analysts expect that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 earnings per share for the current year.
Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend
The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, July 8th. Investors of record on Monday, June 16th were issued a $0.81 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 16th. This represents a $3.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.05%. Merck & Co., Inc.'s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 47.16%.
Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth
A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on MRK shares. Cantor Fitzgerald cut shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from an "overweight" rating to a "cautious" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 20th. Citigroup reiterated a "neutral" rating and set a $84.00 price target (down from $115.00) on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Wednesday, May 14th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, April 25th. Guggenheim reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $115.00 price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Thursday, April 17th. Finally, Morgan Stanley cut their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $99.00 to $98.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, July 10th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have given a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $108.69.
Check Out Our Latest Analysis on MRK
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 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 completion of the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 7,778 shares of the company's stock, valued at $643,707.28. The trade was a 35.40% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 0.13% of the stock is owned by company insiders.
Hedge Funds Weigh In On Merck & Co., Inc.
Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Barnes Dennig Private Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. in the first quarter valued at $27,000. Legend Financial Advisors Inc. bought a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the second quarter worth $25,000. WealthTrak Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. during the fourth quarter valued at about $35,000. Spurstone Advisory Services LLC purchased a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. in the 4th quarter worth about $37,000. Finally, CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC raised its stake in shares of 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 in the last quarter. 76.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.
About Representative Johnson
Julie Johnson (Democratic Party) is a member of the U.S. House, representing Texas' 32nd Congressional District. She assumed office on January 3, 2025. Her current term ends on January 3, 2027.
Johnson (Democratic Party) ran for election to the U.S. House to represent Texas' 32nd Congressional District. She won in the general election on November 5, 2024.
Julie Johnson earned a B.A. in history and government from the University of Texas at Austin in 1987 and a J.D. from the University of Houston Law Center in 1991. Johnson's career experience includes working as an attorney.
Merck & Co., Inc. Company Profile
(
Get Free Report)
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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