Pioneer Trust Bank N A OR Sells 621 Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Pioneer Trust Bank N A OR trimmed its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 8.2% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 6,937 shares of the company’s stock after selling 621 shares during the period. Pioneer Trust Bank N A OR’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $549,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Westbourne Investment Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 21.6% in the 2nd quarter. Westbourne Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 10,411 shares of the company’s stock valued at $824,000 after acquiring an additional 1,850 shares in the last quarter. Advyzon Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 5.2% during the 2nd quarter. Advyzon Investment Management LLC now owns 9,133 shares of the company’s stock worth $723,000 after purchasing an additional 453 shares in the last quarter. IMA Advisory Services Inc. increased its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 7.0% in the second quarter. IMA Advisory Services Inc. now owns 21,004 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,680,000 after purchasing an additional 1,366 shares during the period. Keynote Financial Services LLC raised its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 19.3% in the second quarter. Keynote Financial Services LLC now owns 14,300 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,132,000 after purchasing an additional 2,313 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ibex Wealth Advisors acquired a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. in the second quarter valued at about $7,260,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.07% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Merck & Co., Inc.

In other news, EVP David Michael Williams sold 8,614 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, November 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $83.59, for a total value of $720,044.26. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 24,578 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,054,475.02. This represents a 25.95% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

Merck & Co., Inc. Trading Up 4.8%

MRK opened at $90.91 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $225.64 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.01, a PEG ratio of 0.95 and a beta of 0.34. 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’s 50 day moving average is $84.76 and its 200-day moving average is $82.19. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 1-year low of $73.31 and a 1-year high of $105.07.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 30th. The company reported $2.58 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.36 by $0.22. The business had revenue of $17.28 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $17 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 25.79% and a return on equity of 41.05%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 3.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.57 EPS. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2025 guidance at 8.930-8.980 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on MRK shares. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $98.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, November 3rd. Berenberg Bank downgraded shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and cut their price target for the stock from $100.00 to $90.00 in a report on Wednesday, September 17th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target 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. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, Citigroup initiated coverage on Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Monday, October 13th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $95.00 target price for the company. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have issued a Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $104.47.

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.