Rep. Julie Johnson Sells Off Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK)

Key Points

• Representative Julie Johnson (D-Texas) sold shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) valued between $1,001 and $15,000 on August 14, 2025, as disclosed on September 11th.
• Merck's stock declined by 2.7% to $82.87, while the company has a market cap of $206.99 billion and recorded a net margin of 25.79%.
• Merck has declared a quarterly dividend of $0.81 per share, payable on October 7th, reflecting a yield of 3.9%.

Representative Julie Johnson (D-Texas) recently sold shares of Merck & Co., Inc. NYSE: MRK. In a filing disclosed on September 11th, the Representative disclosed that they had sold between $1,001 and $15,000 in Merck & Co., Inc. stock on August 14th. 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 McDonald's NYSE: MCD on 8/14/2025.
• Sold $1,001 - $15,000 in shares of Eli Lilly and Company NYSE: LLY on 8/14/2025.
• Sold $1,001 - $15,000 in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. NYSE: AJG on 8/14/2025.
• Sold $1,001 - $15,000 in shares of Parker-Hannifin NYSE: PH on 8/14/2025.
• Sold $1,001 - $15,000 in shares of Charles Schwab NYSE: SCHW on 8/14/2025.
• Sold $1,001 - $15,000 in shares of Fidelity National Information Services NYSE: FIS on 8/14/2025.
• Sold $1,001 - $15,000 in shares of ConocoPhillips NYSE: COP on 8/14/2025.
• Sold $1,001 - $15,000 in shares of Home Depot NYSE: HD on 8/14/2025.
• Sold $1,001 - $15,000 in shares of Dover NYSE: DOV on 8/14/2025.
• Sold $1,001 - $15,000 in shares of UnitedHealth Group NYSE: UNH on 8/14/2025.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Down 2.7%

NYSE:MRK traded down $2.28 on Friday, hitting $82.87. 9,931,826 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 11,124,038. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $82.93 and a 200-day moving average price of $82.75. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 1.42 and a quick ratio of 1.17. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 52 week low of $73.31 and a 52 week high of $119.38. The company has a market cap of $206.99 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.77, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.85 and a beta of 0.37.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 29th. The company reported $2.13 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.03 by $0.10. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 25.79% and a return on equity of 41.05%. The firm had revenue of $15.81 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $15.92 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2025 guidance at 8.870-8.970 EPS. As a group, analysts expect that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, October 7th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 15th will be given a dividend of $0.81 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 15th. This represents a $3.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.9%. Merck & Co., Inc.'s payout ratio is 49.92%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MRK has been the topic of several analyst reports. Morgan Stanley cut their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $99.00 to $98.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, July 10th. Cantor Fitzgerald cut shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from an "overweight" rating to a "cautious" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 20th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $97.00 to $90.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, July 30th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have given a Buy rating, twelve have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $107.44.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of MRK. Legend Financial Advisors Inc. bought a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. in the 2nd quarter valued at about $25,000. Barnes Dennig Private Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the 1st quarter worth approximately $27,000. Kilter Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $27,000. Bare Financial Services Inc grew its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 51.9% during the 2nd quarter. Bare Financial Services Inc now owns 366 shares of the company's stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 125 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Evolution Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $31,000. 76.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.

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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