SVB Wealth LLC Reduces Stock Position in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

SVB Wealth LLC trimmed its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 14.0% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 92,183 shares of the company’s stock after selling 14,953 shares during the period. SVB Wealth LLC’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $8,274,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Brighton Jones LLC raised its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 29.5% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 38,278 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,808,000 after acquiring an additional 8,710 shares in the last quarter. American Assets Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the fourth quarter valued at $398,000. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC raised its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.1% in the fourth quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC now owns 83,157 shares of the company’s stock valued at $8,272,000 after acquiring an additional 1,678 shares in the last quarter. Topsail Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the fourth quarter valued at $213,000. Finally, Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC raised its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 463.4% in the fourth quarter. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC now owns 1,245,425 shares of the company’s stock valued at $123,895,000 after acquiring an additional 1,024,371 shares in the last quarter. 76.07% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Performance

Shares of MRK stock opened at $87.1830 on Friday. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $81.64 and its two-hundred day moving average is $83.11. The firm has a market cap of $217.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.43, a PEG ratio of 0.91 and a beta of 0.38. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 1 year low of $73.31 and a 1 year high of $120.30. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 1.17 and a current ratio of 1.42.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 29th. The company reported $2.13 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.03 by $0.10. The company had revenue of $15.81 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $15.92 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 41.05% and a net margin of 25.79%. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2025 guidance at 8.870-8.970 EPS. Analysts predict that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 earnings per share for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, October 7th. Investors of record on Monday, September 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.81 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 15th. This represents a $3.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.7%. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 49.92%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on MRK. Citigroup reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $84.00 price objective (down from $115.00) on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Wednesday, May 14th. Cantor Fitzgerald cut Merck & Co., Inc. from an “overweight” rating to a “cautious” rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 20th. Morgan Stanley cut their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $99.00 to $98.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, July 10th. Wall Street Zen cut Merck & Co., Inc. from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, April 25th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $97.00 to $90.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, July 30th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have assigned a Buy rating, twelve have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Merck & Co., Inc. currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $107.44.

Merck & Co., Inc. Company 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.