Norris Perne & French LLP MI Has $20.61 Million Holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Norris Perne & French LLP MI raised its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 0.9% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 260,346 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 2,295 shares during the quarter. Merck & Co., Inc. accounts for 1.4% of Norris Perne & French LLP MI’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 27th largest holding. Norris Perne & French LLP MI’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $20,609,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Investment Research & Advisory Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 132.8% during the second quarter. Investment Research & Advisory Group Inc. now owns 6,513 shares of the company’s stock worth $516,000 after purchasing an additional 3,715 shares during the period. Scott & Selber Inc. raised its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.9% during the second quarter. Scott & Selber Inc. now owns 15,626 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,237,000 after purchasing an additional 141 shares during the period. First County Bank CT raised its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 8.4% during the second quarter. First County Bank CT now owns 19,714 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,561,000 after purchasing an additional 1,529 shares during the period. GraniteShares Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 4.5% during the second quarter. GraniteShares Advisors LLC now owns 18,196 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,440,000 after purchasing an additional 791 shares during the period. Finally, Peoples Financial Services CORP. raised its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.5% during the second quarter. Peoples Financial Services CORP. now owns 22,778 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,803,000 after purchasing an additional 122 shares during the period. 76.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MRK has been the topic of a number of research reports. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on 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. Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $99.00 to $98.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, July 10th. Finally, Berenberg Bank lowered 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 research report on Wednesday, September 17th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have given a Buy rating, thirteen have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Merck & Co., Inc. has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $106.41.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Up 1.2%

Shares of NYSE MRK opened at $78.51 on Monday. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 52 week low of $73.31 and a 52 week high of $114.79. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $82.53 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $81.81. The company has a quick ratio of 1.17, a current ratio of 1.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. The company has a market cap of $196.10 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.10, a P/E/G ratio of 0.81 and a beta of 0.37.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last issued 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. The business 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. Research analysts anticipate that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

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

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.