Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK Shares Bought by Uhlmann Price Securities LLC

Uhlmann Price Securities LLC raised its position in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 23.4% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 5,080 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 962 shares during the quarter. Uhlmann Price Securities LLC’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $402,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Cidel Asset Management Inc. boosted its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 17.0% in the 2nd quarter. Cidel Asset Management Inc. now owns 15,071 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,193,000 after purchasing an additional 2,191 shares during the last quarter. Salomon & Ludwin LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 12.8% in the 2nd quarter. Salomon & Ludwin LLC now owns 1,851 shares of the company’s stock worth $153,000 after acquiring an additional 210 shares during the last quarter. Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 26.9% in the 2nd quarter. Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC now owns 29,559 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,482,000 after acquiring an additional 6,263 shares during the last quarter. Sigma Investment Counselors Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 3.0% in the 2nd quarter. Sigma Investment Counselors Inc. now owns 4,898 shares of the company’s stock worth $388,000 after acquiring an additional 144 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Wingate Wealth Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 5.5% in the 2nd quarter. Wingate Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 5,037 shares of the company’s stock worth $399,000 after acquiring an additional 263 shares during the last quarter. 76.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Merck & Co., Inc. Trading Up 1.0%

Shares of NYSE:MRK opened at $84.78 on Monday. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 52 week low of $73.31 and a 52 week high of $109.92. The company’s 50 day moving average is $83.91 and its two-hundred day moving average is $81.31. 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 has a market cap of $211.76 billion, a PE ratio of 13.06, a P/E/G ratio of 0.93 and a beta of 0.37.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 29th. The company reported $2.13 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.03 by $0.10. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 25.79% and a return on equity of 41.05%. The company had revenue of $15.81 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $15.92 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2025 guidance at 8.870-8.970 EPS. Equities 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 announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, October 7th. Investors of record on Monday, September 15th were given a $0.81 dividend. This represents a $3.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, September 15th. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 49.92%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have recently commented on MRK shares. Berenberg Bank lowered shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and decreased their price objective for the stock from $100.00 to $90.00 in a report on Wednesday, September 17th. Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $99.00 to $98.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, July 10th. 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 objective on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $97.00 to $90.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, July 30th. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have given a Buy rating, thirteen have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Merck & Co., Inc. presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price 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.