Naviter Wealth LLC Sells 976 Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Naviter Wealth LLC cut its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 3.9% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 23,797 shares of the company’s stock after selling 976 shares during the quarter. Naviter Wealth LLC’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $1,903,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in MRK. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 29.5% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 38,278 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,808,000 after buying an additional 8,710 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 12.4% in the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 48,267 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,332,000 after buying an additional 5,337 shares during the period. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC lifted its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 5.5% in the 1st quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 1,646,903 shares of the company’s stock valued at $147,826,000 after acquiring an additional 86,412 shares during the last quarter. Dynamic Advisor Solutions LLC lifted its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.8% in the 1st quarter. Dynamic Advisor Solutions LLC now owns 46,420 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,167,000 after acquiring an additional 1,266 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Good Life Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 7.1% in the 1st quarter. Good Life Advisors LLC now owns 11,522 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,034,000 after acquiring an additional 767 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.07% of the company’s stock.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Performance

Shares of MRK stock opened at $85.64 on Tuesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $213.90 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.19, a PEG ratio of 0.88 and a beta of 0.37. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $83.58 and a 200 day moving average of $81.40. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 52 week low of $73.31 and a 52 week high of $111.58. The company has a quick ratio of 1.17, a current ratio of 1.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 29th. The company reported $2.13 earnings per share (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 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. As a group, research analysts expect that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 earnings per share for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently issued reports on MRK. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Morgan Stanley cut their target price 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. Berenberg Bank lowered shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and lowered their price target for the company from $100.00 to $90.00 in a report on Wednesday, September 17th. Citigroup began coverage on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Monday. They set a “neutral” rating and a $95.00 price target for the company. Finally, 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 research report on Wednesday, July 30th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have issued a Buy rating, fourteen have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $105.00.

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.