Ancora Advisors LLC Has $2.59 Million Position in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

by · The Cerbat Gem

Ancora Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK – Free Report) by 2.5% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 28,804 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 703 shares during the quarter. Ancora Advisors LLC’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $2,585,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Amundi lifted its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 37.1% during the first quarter. Amundi now owns 13,077,716 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,130,397,000 after purchasing an additional 3,542,036 shares during the period. Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. increased its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 35.5% in the first quarter. Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. now owns 2,026,500 shares of the company’s stock valued at $181,899,000 after purchasing an additional 530,939 shares during the period. Rench Wealth Management Inc. raised its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 1.5% during the 1st quarter. Rench Wealth Management Inc. now owns 43,847 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,936,000 after purchasing an additional 640 shares during the last quarter. Chiron Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 78.2% during the 1st quarter. Chiron Capital Management LLC now owns 18,239 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,637,000 after buying an additional 8,005 shares during the period. Finally, GW Henssler & Associates Ltd. lifted its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 5.5% during the 1st quarter. GW Henssler & Associates Ltd. now owns 172,195 shares of the company’s stock worth $15,456,000 after buying an additional 9,020 shares during the period. 76.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Merck & Co., Inc. Price Performance

Shares of MRK opened at $83.96 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $209.71 billion, a PE ratio of 12.94, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.89 and a beta of 0.37. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 52-week low of $73.31 and a 52-week high of $120.30. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $82.51 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $83.01. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 1.17 and a current ratio of 1.42.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK – Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 29th. The company reported $2.13 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.03 by $0.10. The company had revenue of $15.81 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate 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, equities analysts anticipate that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 EPS for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, October 7th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.81 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 15th. This represents a $3.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.9%. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio is currently 49.92%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on MRK. Cantor Fitzgerald downgraded Merck & Co., Inc. from an “overweight” rating to a “cautious” rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 20th. Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on shares of 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. Wells Fargo & Company dropped 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. Finally, Citigroup reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $84.00 price objective (down from $115.00) on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Wednesday, May 14th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have given a Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $107.44.

Check Out Our Latest Stock Report on Merck & Co., Inc.

Merck & Co., Inc. Profile

(Free Report)

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.

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