Bontempo Ohly Capital Mgmt LLC Invests $4 Million in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Bontempo Ohly Capital Mgmt LLC bought a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm bought 44,586 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,002,000. Merck & Co., Inc. accounts for approximately 1.9% of Bontempo Ohly Capital Mgmt LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 21st biggest holding.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC increased its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 141.7% during the first quarter. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC now owns 377 shares of the company’s stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 221 shares during the period. Hodges Capital Management Inc. increased its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 74.7% during the first quarter. Hodges Capital Management Inc. now owns 33,736 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,028,000 after acquiring an additional 14,428 shares during the period. Modern Wealth Management LLC increased its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 82.0% during the first quarter. Modern Wealth Management LLC now owns 22,201 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,993,000 after acquiring an additional 10,001 shares during the period. Jones Financial Companies Lllp increased its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 31.6% during the first quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 797,908 shares of the company’s stock worth $71,291,000 after acquiring an additional 191,441 shares during the period. Finally, Birmingham Capital Management Co. Inc. AL increased its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.8% during the first quarter. Birmingham Capital Management Co. Inc. AL now owns 41,890 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,760,000 after acquiring an additional 1,160 shares during the period. 76.07% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Performance

Shares of MRK stock opened at $85.11 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $212.59 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.11, a PEG ratio of 0.86 and a beta of 0.37. The company’s 50 day moving average is $82.89 and its 200 day moving average is $82.91. The company has a quick ratio of 1.17, a current ratio of 1.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 52-week low of $73.31 and a 52-week high of $119.38.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 29th. The company reported $2.13 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.03 by $0.10. The company had revenue of $15.81 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $15.92 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 25.79% and a return on equity of 41.05%. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2025 guidance at 8.870-8.970 EPS. On average, sell-side 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 declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, October 7th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 15th will be issued a $0.81 dividend. This represents a $3.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 15th. Merck & Co., Inc.’s payout ratio is currently 49.92%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MRK has been the topic of a number of research reports. Morgan Stanley reduced their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $99.00 to $98.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, July 10th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price 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. 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 analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have given a Buy rating, twelve have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus 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.