Rep. Kelly Morrison Sells Off Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK)

Representative Kelly Morrison (D-Minnesota) recently sold shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK). In a filing disclosed on April 11th, the Representative disclosed that they had sold between $1,001 and $15,000 in Merck & Co., Inc. stock on March 20th. The trade occurred in the Representative’s “TRUST 2” account.

Representative Kelly Morrison also recently made the following trade(s):

• Purchased $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) on 3/24/2025.
• Purchased $15,001 – $50,000 in shares of Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) on 3/24/2025.
• Purchased $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Broadcom (NASDAQ:AVGO) on 3/21/2025.
• Sold $100,001 – $250,000 in shares of Target (NYSE:TGT) on 3/21/2025.
• Sold $15,001 – $50,000 in shares of Target (NYSE:TGT) on 3/21/2025.
• Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of D.R. Horton (NYSE:DHI) on 3/20/2025.
• Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of CACI International (NYSE:CACI) on 3/20/2025.
• Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) on 3/20/2025.
• Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Diageo (NYSE:DEO) on 3/20/2025.
• Purchased $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Target (NYSE:TGT) on 3/3/2025.

Merck & Co., Inc. Price Performance

Shares of MRK traded down $0.89 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $78.28. The stock had a trading volume of 16,039,392 shares, compared to its average volume of 11,584,687. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.79, a current ratio of 1.36 and a quick ratio of 1.15. The company has a market capitalization of $197.75 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.63, a P/E/G ratio of 0.77 and a beta of 0.40. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $88.03 and its 200-day moving average price is $96.91. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 52 week low of $75.96 and a 52 week high of $134.63.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 4th. The company reported $1.72 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.85 by ($0.13). Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 45.35% and a net margin of 26.67%. The business had revenue of $15.62 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $15.51 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.03 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts forecast that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock repurchase plan on Tuesday, January 28th that permits the company to buyback $10.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the company to purchase up to 4.1% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are often an indication that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, April 7th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 17th were given a $0.81 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 17th. This represents a $3.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.14%. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 48.14%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Merck & Co., Inc.

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.5% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 251,096,107 shares of the company’s stock worth $24,979,041,000 after acquiring an additional 1,292,192 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 6.5% in the fourth quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 80,742,030 shares of the company’s stock worth $8,032,217,000 after purchasing an additional 4,932,647 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 3.4% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 61,181,863 shares of the company’s stock worth $6,072,582,000 after purchasing an additional 2,026,859 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $3,479,799,000. Finally, Northern Trust Corp grew its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 16.8% in the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 31,377,107 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,121,395,000 after buying an additional 4,511,742 shares during the last quarter. 76.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Truist Financial reissued a “hold” rating and set a $110.00 price objective (down from $130.00) on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. TD Securities lowered shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and reduced their price objective for the company from $121.00 to $100.00 in a research note on Monday, February 10th. BMO Capital Markets dropped their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $105.00 to $96.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, February 5th. Leerink Partners decreased their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $136.00 to $119.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, January 13th. Finally, Guggenheim lowered their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $122.00 to $115.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Eleven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have issued a buy rating and three have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $115.50.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Inge G. Thulin purchased 2,833 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 6th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $88.25 per share, for a total transaction of $250,012.25. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 2,933 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $258,837.25. This trade represents a 2,833.00 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Cristal N. Downing sold 2,361 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $88.76, for a total transaction of $209,562.36. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 7,085 shares in the company, valued at approximately $628,864.60. The trade was a 24.99 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.09% of the company’s stock.

About Representative Morrison

Kelly Morrison (Democratic Party) is a member of the U.S. House, representing Minnesota’s 3rd Congressional District. She assumed office on January 3, 2025. Her current term ends on January 3, 2027.

Morrison (Democratic Party) is running for re-election to the U.S. House to represent Minnesota’s 3rd Congressional District. She declared candidacy for the 2026 election.

Kelly Morrison was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and lives in Deephaven. Morrison earned a B.A. in history from Yale University and an M.D. from Case Western Reserve University. She completed her residency in obstetrics and gynecology at Northwestern University. Morrison’s career experience includes working as a physician.

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.