Swedbank AB Sells 113,211 Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Swedbank AB reduced its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 1.4% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 7,874,766 shares of the company’s stock after selling 113,211 shares during the quarter. Merck & Co., Inc. accounts for about 0.7% of Swedbank AB’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 25th largest holding. Swedbank AB’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $623,366,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Barnes Dennig Private Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. during the 1st quarter worth approximately $27,000. 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 in the last quarter. MorganRosel Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the first quarter worth $36,000. Mpwm Advisory Solutions LLC bought a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the fourth quarter worth $45,000. Finally, Fiduciary Wealth Partners LLC bought a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. during the 1st quarter worth about $48,000. 76.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MRK has been the subject of a number of research reports. Berenberg Bank cut Merck & Co., Inc. from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and lowered their target price for the stock from $100.00 to $90.00 in a report on Wednesday. Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $99.00 to $98.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, July 10th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $97.00 to $90.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, July 30th. One equities research 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 assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $106.41.

Merck & Co., Inc. Trading Up 0.0%

Shares of NYSE:MRK opened at $81.11 on Thursday. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 12-month low of $73.31 and a 12-month high of $119.38. The stock has a market cap of $202.59 billion, a PE ratio of 12.50, a P/E/G ratio of 0.83 and a beta of 0.37. The business has a 50 day moving average of $82.88 and a 200-day moving average of $82.65. 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. (NYSE:MRK) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, July 29th. The company reported $2.13 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.03 by $0.10. The company had revenue of $15.81 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations 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. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 earnings per share for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, October 7th. Investors of record on Monday, September 15th will be given a dividend of $0.81 per share. This represents a $3.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.0%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 15th. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio is currently 49.92%.

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.