Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK is FUKOKU MUTUAL LIFE INSURANCE Co’s 9th Largest Position

FUKOKU MUTUAL LIFE INSURANCE Co increased its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 2.0% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 459,797 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 9,068 shares during the quarter. Merck & Co., Inc. accounts for approximately 2.3% of FUKOKU MUTUAL LIFE INSURANCE Co’s holdings, making the stock its 9th biggest position. FUKOKU MUTUAL LIFE INSURANCE Co’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $36,398,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of MRK. Catalyst Funds Management Pty Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the 2nd quarter worth $380,000. 17 Capital Partners LLC raised its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 13.9% during the second quarter. 17 Capital Partners LLC now owns 7,635 shares of the company’s stock worth $604,000 after purchasing an additional 930 shares in the last quarter. Winnow Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. in the second quarter valued at about $45,000. NFP Retirement Inc. boosted its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 5.1% in the 2nd quarter. NFP Retirement Inc. now owns 7,230 shares of the company’s stock valued at $572,000 after purchasing an additional 351 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ensign Peak Advisors Inc increased its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 20.5% during the 2nd quarter. Ensign Peak Advisors Inc now owns 3,151,749 shares of the company’s stock worth $249,492,000 after purchasing an additional 536,384 shares during the period. 76.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently commented on MRK. Berenberg Bank cut Merck & Co., Inc. from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and reduced their price target for the company from $100.00 to $90.00 in a report on Wednesday, September 17th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Merck & Co., Inc. from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, November 8th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased 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. Citigroup started coverage on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Monday, October 13th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $95.00 price target for the company. Finally, Scotiabank began coverage on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Thursday, November 13th. They issued a “sector outperform” rating and a $105.00 price objective for the company. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have given a Buy rating, ten have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $104.88.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Down 1.3%

Merck & Co., Inc. stock opened at $95.16 on Thursday. Merck & Co., Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $73.31 and a fifty-two week high of $105.07. The firm has a market capitalization of $236.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.66, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.95 and a beta of 0.34. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $85.89 and its two-hundred day moving average is $82.61. 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 released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 30th. The company reported $2.58 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.36 by $0.22. The business had revenue of $17.28 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $17 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 25.79% and a return on equity of 41.05%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.57 EPS. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2025 guidance at 8.930-8.980 EPS. Analysts predict that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 8th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 15th will be given a $0.85 dividend. This is a boost from Merck & Co., Inc.’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.81. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.6%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 15th. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 42.80%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Merck & Co., Inc.

In other news, EVP David Michael Williams sold 8,614 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $83.59, for a total transaction of $720,044.26. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 24,578 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,054,475.02. This trade represents a 25.95% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.13% of the stock is currently 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.