Lombard Odier Asset Management Switzerland SA Acquires 8,020 Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Lombard Odier Asset Management Switzerland SA lifted its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 7.0% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 122,508 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 8,020 shares during the quarter. Lombard Odier Asset Management Switzerland SA’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $9,698,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Legend Financial Advisors Inc. bought a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the second quarter valued at about $25,000. Kilter Group LLC acquired a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. in the 2nd quarter valued at about $27,000. Bare Financial Services Inc grew its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 51.9% in the 2nd quarter. Bare Financial Services Inc now owns 366 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 125 shares during the last quarter. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC raised its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 141.7% in the 1st quarter. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC now owns 377 shares of the company’s stock valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 221 shares during the period. Finally, Howard Hughes Medical Institute acquired a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. during the second quarter worth approximately $43,000. Institutional investors own 76.07% of the company’s stock.

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

In other news, EVP David Michael Williams sold 8,614 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $83.59, for a total transaction of $720,044.26. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 24,578 shares of the company’s stock, 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 SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.09% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have recently commented on MRK shares. Berenberg Bank downgraded Merck & Co., Inc. from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and decreased their target price for the company from $100.00 to $90.00 in a research report on Wednesday, September 17th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $110.00 to $111.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 18th. Wells Fargo & Company raised shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and boosted their target price for the company from $90.00 to $125.00 in a research report on Monday, November 24th. Citigroup began coverage on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Monday, October 13th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $95.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Scotiabank raised their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $105.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “sector outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 4th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $107.38.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Performance

NYSE:MRK opened at $98.96 on Tuesday. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $91.27 and a 200-day moving average price of $84.83. The company has a market cap of $245.62 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.07, a PEG ratio of 0.91 and a beta of 0.29. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 1.44 and a current ratio of 1.66. Merck & Co., Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $73.31 and a fifty-two week high of $105.84.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 30th. The company reported $2.58 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.36 by $0.22. The company had revenue of $17.28 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $17 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 44.54% and a net margin of 29.63%.Merck & Co., Inc.’s revenue was up 3.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.57 earnings per share. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2025 guidance at 8.930-8.980 EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 8th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 15th will be given a $0.85 dividend. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.4%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 15th. This is a boost from Merck & Co., Inc.’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.81. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio is presently 42.80%.

Merck & Co., Inc. 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.