TD Capital Management LLC Acquires 160 Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

TD Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 7.3% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 2,366 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 160 shares during the quarter. TD Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $212,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Barnes Dennig Private Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the 1st quarter worth about $27,000. Spurstone Advisory Services LLC acquired a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $37,000. MorganRosel Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Minot DeBlois Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $45,000. Finally, Mpwm Advisory Solutions LLC acquired a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $45,000. 76.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Merck & Co., Inc. Trading Down 1.0%

Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. stock opened at $84.16 on Thursday. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 12-month low of $73.31 and a 12-month high of $120.30. The stock has a market cap of $210.21 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.97, a P/E/G ratio of 0.90 and a beta of 0.38. 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 business’s 50 day moving average is $81.96 and its 200-day moving average is $83.04.

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

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, October 7th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.81 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 15th. This represents a $3.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.8%. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio is currently 49.92%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MRK has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $97.00 to $90.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, July 30th. Citigroup reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $84.00 price target (down previously from $115.00) on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Wednesday, May 14th. Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $99.00 to $98.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, July 10th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald downgraded Merck & Co., Inc. from an “overweight” rating to a “cautious” rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 20th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have assigned a Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus 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.