J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG Sells 32,786 Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG lowered its position in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 4.0% in the 2nd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 781,316 shares of the company’s stock after selling 32,786 shares during the quarter. Merck & Co., Inc. accounts for about 1.1% of J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 29th biggest holding. J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $61,849,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Brighton Jones LLC grew its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 29.5% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 38,278 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,808,000 after purchasing an additional 8,710 shares during the period. Merit Financial Group LLC grew its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 30.6% during the 1st quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC now owns 89,760 shares of the company’s stock valued at $8,057,000 after acquiring an additional 21,038 shares during the period. Triangle Securities Wealth Management grew its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 5.6% during the 1st quarter. Triangle Securities Wealth Management now owns 14,338 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,287,000 after acquiring an additional 759 shares during the period. Apella Capital LLC grew its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 14.6% during the 1st quarter. Apella Capital LLC now owns 10,855 shares of the company’s stock valued at $889,000 after acquiring an additional 1,385 shares during the period. Finally, Contravisory Investment Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $97,000. Institutional investors own 76.07% of the company’s stock.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Performance

NYSE MRK opened at $90.13 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.17, a current ratio of 1.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. The firm has a market cap of $225.11 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.89, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.86 and a beta of 0.37. Merck & Co., Inc. has a twelve month low of $73.31 and a twelve month high of $114.60. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $82.68 and a 200-day moving average price of $81.77.

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

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, October 7th. Investors of record on Monday, September 15th will be given a $0.81 dividend. This represents a $3.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.6%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 15th. Merck & Co., Inc.’s payout ratio is currently 49.92%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on MRK. Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $99.00 to $98.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, July 10th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $97.00 to $90.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, July 30th. Finally, Berenberg Bank lowered Merck & Co., Inc. from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and dropped their price objective for the stock from $100.00 to $90.00 in a research note on Wednesday, September 17th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have assigned a Buy rating, thirteen have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Merck & Co., Inc. presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $106.41.

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.