Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK Shares Sold by Venture Visionary Partners LLC

Venture Visionary Partners LLC reduced its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 3.2% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 44,995 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,468 shares during the quarter. Venture Visionary Partners LLC’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $3,562,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Smith Chas P & Associates PA Cpas increased its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 4.1% during the 2nd quarter. Smith Chas P & Associates PA Cpas now owns 355,248 shares of the company’s stock worth $28,121,000 after buying an additional 14,013 shares during the period. Baron Silver Stevens Financial Advisors LLC increased its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 7.5% during the 2nd quarter. Baron Silver Stevens Financial Advisors LLC now owns 4,846 shares of the company’s stock worth $384,000 after buying an additional 337 shares during the period. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC increased its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.9% in the 2nd quarter. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC now owns 19,316 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,529,000 after purchasing an additional 174 shares during the last quarter. FARMERS & MERCHANTS TRUST Co OF LONG BEACH increased its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 51.1% in the 2nd quarter. FARMERS & MERCHANTS TRUST Co OF LONG BEACH now owns 14,202 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,124,000 after purchasing an additional 4,804 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Moss Adams Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 1.2% in the 2nd quarter. Moss Adams Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 13,158 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,052,000 after purchasing an additional 152 shares during the last quarter. 76.07% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Down 0.1%

MRK stock opened at $78.46 on Tuesday. Merck & Co., Inc. has a one year low of $73.31 and a one year high of $114.79. The stock has a market capitalization of $195.98 billion, a PE ratio of 12.09, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.81 and a beta of 0.37. 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 company has a fifty day moving average of $82.51 and a 200-day moving average of $81.69.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, July 29th. The company reported $2.13 EPS for the quarter, topping 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 company had revenue of $15.81 billion during 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. As a group, analysts expect that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 EPS for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, October 7th. Investors of record on Monday, September 15th will be paid a $0.81 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 15th. This represents a $3.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.1%. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 49.92%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have commented on the stock. Morgan Stanley dropped 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 research report on Thursday, July 10th. Berenberg Bank downgraded shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and dropped their price objective for the company from $100.00 to $90.00 in a research report on Wednesday, September 17th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company dropped 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, six have issued a Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $106.41.

About Merck & Co., Inc.

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.