Rep. C. Scott Franklin Sells Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) Stock

Representative C. Scott Franklin (R-Florida) recently sold shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK). In a filing disclosed on July 14th, the Representative disclosed that they had sold between $1,001 and $15,000 in Merck & Co., Inc. stock on June 16th. The trade occurred in the Representative’s “FIDELITY JOINT TBE” account.

Representative C. Scott Franklin also recently made the following trade(s):

• Sold $15,001 – $50,000 in shares of Visa (NYSE:V) on 6/16/2025.
• Sold $15,001 – $50,000 in shares of Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) on 6/16/2025.
• Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG) on 6/16/2025.
• Sold $15,001 – $50,000 in shares of McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) on 6/16/2025.
• Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) on 6/16/2025.
• Sold $15,001 – $50,000 in shares of Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) on 6/16/2025.
• Sold $15,001 – $50,000 in shares of Walmart (NYSE:WMT) on 6/16/2025.
• Sold $15,001 – $50,000 in shares of Berkshire Hathaway (NYSE:BRK.B) on 6/16/2025.
• Sold $15,001 – $50,000 in shares of Home Depot (NYSE:HD) on 6/16/2025.
• Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Kenvue (NYSE:KVUE) on 6/16/2025.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Down 1.9%

MRK opened at $79.97 on Friday. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $79.37 and its 200-day simple moving average is $85.89. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 1.16 and a current ratio of 1.41. Merck & Co., Inc. has a twelve month low of $73.31 and a twelve month high of $128.73. The firm has a market cap of $200.81 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.64, a PEG ratio of 0.85 and a beta of 0.39.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The company reported $2.22 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.16 by $0.06. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 27.27% and a return on equity of 43.23%. The business had revenue of $15.53 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $15.59 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.07 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 1.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts anticipate that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, July 8th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 16th were issued a $0.81 dividend. This represents a $3.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.05%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 16th. Merck & Co., Inc.’s payout ratio is 47.16%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have commented on MRK. Citigroup reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $84.00 price objective (down previously from $115.00) on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Wednesday, May 14th. Morgan Stanley decreased 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 report on Thursday, July 10th. Guggenheim reissued a “buy” rating and set a $115.00 price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Thursday, April 17th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, April 25th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald lowered shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from an “overweight” rating to a “cautious” rating in a report on Tuesday, May 20th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have given a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Merck & Co., Inc. has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $108.69.

Insider Buying and Selling at Merck & Co., Inc.

In related news, SVP Dalton E. Smart III sold 4,262 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, April 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $82.76, for a total value of $352,723.12. Following the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 7,778 shares in the company, valued at $643,707.28. This trade represents a 35.40% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 0.13% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Philip James Wealth Mangement LLC raised its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 104.0% in the 2nd quarter. Philip James Wealth Mangement LLC now owns 191,874 shares of the company’s stock valued at $15,189,000 after acquiring an additional 97,798 shares during the period. Naples Global Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 5.7% in the 2nd quarter. Naples Global Advisors LLC now owns 106,928 shares of the company’s stock valued at $8,547,000 after acquiring an additional 5,768 shares during the period. Pure Financial Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 130.0% in the 2nd quarter. Pure Financial Advisors LLC now owns 54,684 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,329,000 after acquiring an additional 30,910 shares during the period. RKL Wealth Management LLC raised its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 5.4% in the 2nd quarter. RKL Wealth Management LLC now owns 14,004 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,109,000 after acquiring an additional 713 shares during the period. Finally, Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. raised its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 21.4% in the 2nd quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. now owns 3,163,417 shares of the company’s stock valued at $250,416,000 after acquiring an additional 556,891 shares during the period. 76.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Representative Franklin

Scott Franklin (Republican Party) is a member of the U.S. House, representing Florida’s 18th Congressional District. He assumed office on January 3, 2023. His current term ends on January 3, 2027.

Franklin (Republican Party) is running for re-election to the U.S. House to represent Florida’s 18th Congressional District. He declared candidacy for the 2026 election.

Scott Franklin was born in Thomaston, Georgia. Franklin graduated from Lakeland High School. He served in the U.S. Navy from 1986 to 2000 and the U.S. Navy Reserve from 2000 to 2012.

Franklin earned a B.S. from the United States Naval Academy in 1986 and an M.B.A. from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in 1994. Franklin’s career experience includes owning an insurance agency and working as a naval aviator with the U.S. Navy.

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.