Guggenheim Capital LLC Raises Stock Position in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Guggenheim Capital LLC increased its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 29.1% during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 499,975 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 112,579 shares during the quarter. Guggenheim Capital LLC’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $44,878,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of MRK. Barnes Dennig Private Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the 1st quarter valued at $27,000. MorganRosel Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. in the 1st quarter valued at $36,000. Spurstone Advisory Services LLC acquired a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. in the 4th quarter valued at $37,000. Minot DeBlois Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. in the 4th quarter valued at $45,000. Finally, Mpwm Advisory Solutions LLC acquired a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. in the 4th quarter valued at $45,000. 76.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Merck & Co., Inc. Trading Down 0.2%

NYSE MRK opened at $85.14 on Wednesday. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 12 month low of $73.31 and a 12 month high of $120.30. The company has a 50-day moving average of $81.86 and a 200-day moving average of $83.03. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 1.42 and a quick ratio of 1.17. The company has a market cap of $212.66 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.12, a P/E/G ratio of 0.90 and a beta of 0.38.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 29th. The company reported $2.13 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 company had revenue of $15.81 billion during 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, equities analysts predict that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 earnings per share for the current 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 $0.81 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend 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 49.92%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have issued reports on MRK shares. 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 note on Wednesday, July 30th. Cantor Fitzgerald cut shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from an “overweight” rating to a “cautious” rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 20th. 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 note on Thursday, July 10th. Finally, Citigroup restated a “neutral” rating and set a $84.00 target price (down from $115.00) on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Wednesday, May 14th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have issued a Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $107.44.

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.