Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) Stock Unloaded Rep. Jared Moskowitz

Representative Jared Moskowitz (D-Florida) recently sold shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK). In a filing disclosed on February 10th, the Representative disclosed that they had sold between $1,001 and $15,000 in Merck & Co., Inc. stock on January 15th. The trade occurred in the Representative’s “MORGAN STANLEY ACTIVE ASSETS (6)” account.

Representative Jared Moskowitz also recently made the following trade(s):

• Purchased $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of AbbVie (NYSE:ABBV) on 1/15/2025.
• Purchased $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of McKesson (NYSE:MCK) on 1/15/2025.
• Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Canadian National Railway (NYSE:CNI) on 1/15/2025.
• Purchased $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Stryker (NYSE:SYK) on 1/15/2025.
• Purchased $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of The Goldman Sachs Group (NYSE:GS) on 1/15/2025.
• Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT) on 1/15/2025.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Down 1.0 %

MRK traded down $0.86 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $85.69. The company had a trading volume of 8,514,235 shares, compared to its average volume of 13,975,834. The company has a market cap of $216.75 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.73, a PEG ratio of 0.83 and a beta of 0.38. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 12 month low of $85.73 and a 12 month high of $134.63. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.79, a current ratio of 1.36 and a quick ratio of 1.15. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $98.14 and its 200 day moving average price is $105.79.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 4th. The company reported $1.72 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.85 by ($0.13). The company had revenue of $15.62 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $15.51 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 45.35% and a net margin of 26.67%. The company’s revenue was up 6.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.03 earnings per share. Equities analysts anticipate that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 EPS for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. announced that its Board of Directors has approved a stock repurchase program on Tuesday, January 28th that authorizes the company to buyback $10.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the company to repurchase up to 4.1% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are generally a sign that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 7th. Investors of record on Monday, March 17th will be given a $0.81 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 17th. This represents a $3.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.78%. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio is presently 48.14%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Cristal N. Downing sold 2,361 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $88.76, for a total transaction of $209,562.36. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 7,085 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $628,864.60. This represents a 24.99 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Inge G. Thulin acquired 2,833 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 6th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $88.25 per share, for a total transaction of $250,012.25. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now directly owns 2,933 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $258,837.25. The trade was a 2,833.00 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.09% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Midwest Capital Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the fourth quarter worth approximately $26,000. Financial Life Planners acquired a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the 4th quarter worth $28,000. Noble Wealth Management PBC acquired a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. in the fourth quarter valued at about $28,000. Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. during the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. Finally, Promus Capital LLC bought a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. during the fourth quarter worth about $30,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.07% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MRK has been the topic of a number of research reports. Truist Financial restated a “hold” rating and issued a $110.00 price target (down from $130.00) on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Daiwa America cut Merck & Co., Inc. from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, November 11th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $125.00 to $110.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, November 1st. Bank of America lowered their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $118.00 to $112.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. Finally, Hsbc Global Res upgraded shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 4th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and three have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $117.06.

About Representative Moskowitz

Jared Evan Moskowitz (Democratic Party) is a member of the U.S. House, representing Florida’s 23rd Congressional District. He assumed office on January 3, 2023. His current term ends on January 3, 2027.

Moskowitz (Democratic Party) is running for re-election to the U.S. House to represent Florida’s 23rd Congressional District. He declared candidacy for the 2026 election.

Jared Evan Moskowitz was born in Coral Springs, Florida. Moskowitz graduated from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. He earned a bachelor’s degree in political science and government from George Washington University in 2003 and a law degree from Nova Southeastern University in 2007. Moskowitz’s career experience includes working as the director of the Florida Division of Emergency Management and general counsel with AshBritt Inc.

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.