Simon Quick Advisors LLC Sells 1,135 Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Simon Quick Advisors LLC reduced its position in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 6.6% during the second quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 16,115 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,135 shares during the period. Simon Quick Advisors LLC’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $1,276,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of MRK. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 29.5% in 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. Clear Creek Financial Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 24.8% during the 1st quarter. Clear Creek Financial Management LLC now owns 6,566 shares of the company’s stock valued at $590,000 after acquiring an additional 1,303 shares during the period. O Brien Wealth Partners LLC lifted its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 11.9% during the 1st quarter. O Brien Wealth Partners LLC now owns 2,350 shares of the company’s stock valued at $211,000 after acquiring an additional 250 shares during the period. Private Trust Co. NA lifted its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 1.5% during the 1st quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 43,678 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,921,000 after acquiring an additional 641 shares during the period. Finally, Weaver Consulting Group lifted its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 25.7% during the 1st quarter. Weaver Consulting Group now owns 4,200 shares of the company’s stock valued at $377,000 after acquiring an additional 858 shares during the period. 76.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Performance

MRK opened at $86.30 on Friday. 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 company’s fifty day moving average price is $84.59 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $81.75. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 1-year low of $73.31 and a 1-year high of $105.07. The company has a market cap of $215.56 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.30, a PEG ratio of 0.95 and a beta of 0.37.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 30th. The company reported $2.58 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.36 by $0.22. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 25.79% and a return on equity of 41.05%. The firm had revenue of $17.28 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $17 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.57 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 3.7% on a year-over-year basis. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2025 guidance at 8.930-8.980 EPS. On average, analysts expect that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MRK has been the topic of a number of research reports. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Morgan Stanley dropped their target price 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. 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 research report on Wednesday, July 30th. Berenberg Bank downgraded shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and dropped their target price for the company from $100.00 to $90.00 in a research report on Wednesday, September 17th. Finally, Citigroup initiated coverage on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Monday, October 13th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $95.00 target price on the stock. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have assigned a Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Merck & Co., Inc. presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $104.33.

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.