Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK Holdings Reduced by Woodstock Corp

Woodstock Corp decreased its position in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 1.6% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 124,365 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,985 shares during the period. Woodstock Corp’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $9,845,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of MRK. Barnes Dennig Private Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the 1st quarter worth approximately $27,000. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC lifted 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 worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 221 shares during the period. MorganRosel Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the 1st quarter worth approximately $36,000. Spurstone Advisory Services LLC acquired a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $37,000. Finally, Mpwm Advisory Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $45,000. Institutional investors own 76.07% of the company’s stock.

Merck & Co., Inc. Trading Down 2.1%

MRK opened at $81.07 on Tuesday. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 1-year low of $73.31 and a 1-year high of $119.38. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $82.93 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $82.68. The company has a current ratio of 1.42, a quick ratio of 1.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. The stock has a market capitalization of $202.50 billion, a PE ratio of 12.49, a PEG ratio of 0.85 and a beta of 0.37.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) 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 company had revenue of $15.81 billion during 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, equities analysts anticipate that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, October 7th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 15th will be given a dividend of $0.81 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 15th. This represents a $3.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.0%. Merck & Co., Inc.’s payout ratio is currently 49.92%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms recently commented on MRK. Cantor Fitzgerald lowered shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from an “overweight” rating to a “cautious” rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 20th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $97.00 to $90.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, July 30th. Finally, Morgan Stanley cut their target price on shares of 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 Strong Buy rating, six have given a Buy rating, twelve have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $107.44.

Merck & Co., Inc. 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.