Trust Co. of Oklahoma Grows Holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Trust Co. of Oklahoma grew its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 5.4% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 2,664 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 136 shares during the period. Trust Co. of Oklahoma’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $211,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of MRK. Wealth Alliance Advisory Group LLC boosted its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 212.2% during the second quarter. Wealth Alliance Advisory Group LLC now owns 9,342 shares of the company’s stock worth $740,000 after acquiring an additional 6,350 shares during the last quarter. Value Partners Investments Inc. raised its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 5.9% in the 2nd quarter. Value Partners Investments Inc. now owns 15,381 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,216,000 after acquiring an additional 862 shares during the last quarter. Capital Asset Advisory Services LLC lifted its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.3% during the 2nd quarter. Capital Asset Advisory Services LLC now owns 19,749 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,616,000 after purchasing an additional 440 shares during the period. Osprey Private Wealth LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 12.4% during the second quarter. Osprey Private Wealth LLC now owns 6,325 shares of the company’s stock worth $512,000 after purchasing an additional 700 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Somerset Trust Co grew its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 1.3% in the second quarter. Somerset Trust Co now owns 10,580 shares of the company’s stock valued at $838,000 after purchasing an additional 133 shares during the period. 76.07% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Performance

NYSE MRK opened at $82.87 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $206.99 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.77, a P/E/G ratio of 0.87 and a beta of 0.37. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 1-year low of $73.31 and a 1-year high of $119.38. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 1.42 and a quick ratio of 1.17. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $82.93 and its 200-day simple moving average is $82.81.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, July 29th. The company reported $2.13 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.03 by $0.10. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 25.79% and a return on equity of 41.05%. The firm had revenue of $15.81 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $15.92 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2025 guidance at 8.870-8.970 EPS. Equities analysts predict that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 EPS for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, October 7th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 15th will be given a $0.81 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend 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 presently 49.92%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MRK has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on 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. Cantor Fitzgerald lowered shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from an “overweight” rating to a “cautious” rating in a report on Tuesday, May 20th. Finally, Morgan Stanley decreased 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. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have assigned a Buy rating, twelve have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $107.44.

Merck & Co., Inc. Company 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.