Trek Financial LLC Lowers Stake in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Trek Financial LLC cut its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 62.3% during the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 6,768 shares of the company’s stock after selling 11,161 shares during the period. Trek Financial LLC’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $536,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. 1832 Asset Management L.P. boosted its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 16.3% during the second quarter. 1832 Asset Management L.P. now owns 553,784 shares of the company’s stock worth $43,838,000 after purchasing an additional 77,646 shares in the last quarter. Plan Group Financial LLC increased its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 39.5% in the second quarter. Plan Group Financial LLC now owns 10,123 shares of the company’s stock valued at $801,000 after buying an additional 2,868 shares in the last quarter. Twin Peaks Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $108,000. Nicolet Bankshares Inc. raised its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.0% during the 2nd quarter. Nicolet Bankshares Inc. now owns 6,169 shares of the company’s stock worth $488,000 after buying an additional 121 shares during the period. Finally, River Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 21.9% during the 2nd quarter. River Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 66,018 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,226,000 after buying an additional 11,853 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.07% of the company’s stock.

Merck & Co., Inc. Price Performance

Shares of NYSE MRK opened at $100.85 on Friday. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $90.43 and a 200-day simple moving average of $84.42. The company has a quick ratio of 1.44, a current ratio of 1.66 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77. The stock has a market capitalization of $250.31 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.32, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.93 and a beta of 0.29. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 52 week low of $73.31 and a 52 week high of $105.84.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last posted its quarterly earnings results 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. The firm had revenue of $17.28 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $17 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 29.63% and a return on equity of 44.54%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.57 earnings per share. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2025 guidance at 8.930-8.980 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 8th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.85 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 15th. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.4%. This is an increase from Merck & Co., Inc.’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.81. Merck & Co., Inc.’s payout ratio is presently 42.80%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MRK has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Tuesday. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $92.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $98.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, November 3rd. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, November 8th. Finally, Berenberg Bank lowered shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and decreased their price target for the company from $100.00 to $90.00 in a research note on Wednesday, September 17th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Merck & Co., Inc. currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $107.38.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP David Michael Williams sold 8,614 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $83.59, for a total value of $720,044.26. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 24,578 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,054,475.02. This trade represents a 25.95% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 0.13% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.