GoalVest Advisory LLC Increases Stake in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

GoalVest Advisory LLC raised its position in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 6.0% during the second quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 15,141 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 854 shares during the period. GoalVest Advisory LLC’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $1,199,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Banco Santander S.A. lifted its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 17.2% in the 2nd quarter. Banco Santander S.A. now owns 371,531 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,410,000 after purchasing an additional 54,618 shares in the last quarter. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC raised its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.3% during the 2nd quarter. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC now owns 124,912 shares of the company’s stock worth $9,982,000 after acquiring an additional 2,820 shares during the period. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 19.5% during the 2nd quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 809,798 shares of the company’s stock worth $64,764,000 after acquiring an additional 132,370 shares during the period. Resonant Capital Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 13.9% during the 2nd quarter. Resonant Capital Advisors LLC now owns 11,462 shares of the company’s stock worth $916,000 after acquiring an additional 1,396 shares during the period. Finally, Wealthfront Advisers LLC raised its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 10.1% during the 2nd quarter. Wealthfront Advisers LLC now owns 177,442 shares of the company’s stock worth $14,046,000 after acquiring an additional 16,263 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.07% of the company’s stock.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Up 0.4%

Shares of NYSE:MRK opened at $87.54 on Monday. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $84.43 and a 200 day moving average price of $81.55. 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 capitalization of $218.65 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.49, a PEG ratio of 0.96 and a beta of 0.37. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 12-month low of $73.31 and a 12-month high of $106.49.

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, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.03 by $0.10. The firm had revenue of $15.81 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $15.92 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 41.05% and a net margin of 25.79%. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2025 guidance at 8.870-8.970 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have recently commented on MRK shares. Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on 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. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Saturday. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on 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. Citigroup started coverage on Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Monday, October 13th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $95.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Berenberg Bank lowered Merck & Co., Inc. from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and reduced their price target for the stock from $100.00 to $90.00 in a report on Wednesday, September 17th. 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 given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $104.33.

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.