Rep. Ritchie Torres Sells Off Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK)

Representative Ritchie Torres (D-New York) recently sold shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK). In a filing disclosed on August 20th, the Representative disclosed that they had sold between $1,001 and $15,000 in Merck & Co., Inc. stock on July 11th.

Representative Ritchie Torres also recently made the following trade(s):

• Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Equity Lifestyle Properties (NYSE:ELS) on 7/11/2025.
• Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) on 7/11/2025.
• Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Emerson Electric (NYSE:EMR) on 7/11/2025.
• Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Kinder Morgan (NYSE:KMI) on 7/11/2025.
• Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of MetLife (NYSE:MET) on 7/11/2025.
• Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) on 7/11/2025.
• Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Equity Residential (NYSE:EQR) on 7/11/2025.
• Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of McKesson (NYSE:MCK) on 7/11/2025.
• Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Ares Management (NYSE:ARES) on 7/11/2025.
• Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Otis Worldwide (NYSE:OTIS) on 7/11/2025.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Performance

Shares of MRK stock traded down $2.0230 on Monday, hitting $85.3470. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 4,636,626 shares, compared to its average volume of 15,324,228. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 1.17 and a current ratio of 1.42. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $81.64 and its 200-day moving average is $83.03. Merck & Co., Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $73.31 and a fifty-two week high of $120.30. The company has a market capitalization of $213.18 billion, a PE ratio of 13.15, a PEG ratio of 0.92 and a beta of 0.38.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 29th. The company reported $2.13 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 business 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 research analysts expect that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

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

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Legend Financial Advisors Inc. bought a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Barnes Dennig Private Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the first quarter worth approximately $27,000. Kilter Group LLC bought a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $27,000. Bare Financial Services Inc raised its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 51.9% during the 2nd quarter. Bare Financial Services Inc now owns 366 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 125 shares during the last quarter. Finally, CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC raised its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 141.7% during the 1st quarter. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC now owns 377 shares of the company’s stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 221 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 76.07% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms recently commented on MRK. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on shares of 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. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on shares of 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. Citigroup reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $84.00 price objective (down previously from $115.00) on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Wednesday, May 14th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald cut shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from an “overweight” rating to a “cautious” rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 20th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have given a Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $107.44.

About Representative Torres

Ritchie Torres (Democratic Party) is a member of the U.S. House, representing New York’s 15th Congressional District. He assumed office on January 3, 2021. His current term ends on January 3, 2027.

Torres (Democratic Party) ran for re-election to the U.S. House to represent New York’s 15th Congressional District. He won in the general election on November 5, 2024.

Ritchie Torres lives in the Bronx, New York.

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.