Park Avenue Securities LLC Invests $4.60 Million in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Park Avenue Securities LLC purchased a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) in the second quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm purchased 58,150 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,603,000.

A number of other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Avanza Fonder AB lifted its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 4.3% in the 2nd quarter. Avanza Fonder AB now owns 244,553 shares of the company’s stock worth $19,359,000 after acquiring an additional 10,101 shares during the period. Atle Fund Management AB lifted its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 9.0% in the 2nd quarter. Atle Fund Management AB now owns 139,172 shares of the company’s stock worth $11,017,000 after acquiring an additional 11,493 shares during the period. Matrix Trust Co lifted its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 4.8% in the 2nd quarter. Matrix Trust Co now owns 17,409 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,378,000 after acquiring an additional 792 shares during the period. Sowell Financial Services LLC lifted its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 7.9% in the 2nd quarter. Sowell Financial Services LLC now owns 77,879 shares of the company’s stock worth $6,165,000 after acquiring an additional 5,704 shares during the period. Finally, Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.9% in the 2nd quarter. Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 4,587 shares of the company’s stock worth $363,000 after acquiring an additional 128 shares during the period. 76.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Performance

MRK stock opened at $80.44 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.17, a current ratio of 1.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. The company has a market capitalization of $200.93 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.39, a P/E/G ratio of 0.84 and a beta of 0.37. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 12 month low of $73.31 and a 12 month high of $118.16. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $82.72 and a two-hundred day moving average of $82.24.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last posted its 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. The company had revenue of $15.81 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $15.92 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 25.79% and a return on equity of 41.05%. 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 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts recently commented on MRK shares. 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. 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, Berenberg Bank lowered shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and cut their target price for the company from $100.00 to $90.00 in a research note on Wednesday, September 17th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have given a Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $106.41.

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.