Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK Shares Bought by Malaga Cove Capital LLC

Malaga Cove Capital LLC lifted its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 8.1% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 30,742 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 2,291 shares during the quarter. Merck & Co., Inc. makes up 1.0% of Malaga Cove Capital LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 29th largest position. Malaga Cove Capital LLC’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $2,434,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Texas Yale Capital Corp. increased its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.3% in the second quarter. Texas Yale Capital Corp. now owns 37,883 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,999,000 after purchasing an additional 835 shares during the last quarter. OneAscent Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 21.5% in the 2nd quarter. OneAscent Wealth Management LLC now owns 5,199 shares of the company’s stock worth $412,000 after buying an additional 920 shares during the last quarter. Middleton & Co. Inc. MA grew its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.4% in the 2nd quarter. Middleton & Co. Inc. MA now owns 145,949 shares of the company’s stock valued at $11,553,000 after buying an additional 648 shares during the period. OneAscent Family Office LLC increased its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 11.2% during the 2nd quarter. OneAscent Family Office LLC now owns 3,097 shares of the company’s stock valued at $245,000 after acquiring an additional 311 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Souders Financial Advisors increased its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 118.6% during the 2nd quarter. Souders Financial Advisors now owns 5,884 shares of the company’s stock valued at $466,000 after acquiring an additional 3,192 shares during the last quarter. 76.07% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Up 1.8%

Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. stock opened at $85.90 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $214.56 billion, a PE ratio of 13.24, a P/E/G ratio of 0.95 and a beta of 0.34. The business has a 50-day moving average of $84.55 and a 200-day moving average of $81.98. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 1.42 and a quick ratio of 1.17. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 1-year low of $73.31 and a 1-year high of $105.07.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 30th. The company reported $2.58 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.36 by $0.22. The firm had revenue of $17.28 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $17 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 41.05% and a net margin of 25.79%.Merck & Co., Inc.’s quarterly revenue was up 3.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.57 earnings per share. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2025 guidance at 8.930-8.980 EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on MRK shares. Citigroup began coverage on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Monday, October 13th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $95.00 target price on the stock. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $97.00 to $90.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, July 30th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $98.00 to $100.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday. Finally, Berenberg Bank lowered shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and cut their price target for the company from $100.00 to $90.00 in a report on Wednesday, September 17th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have given a Buy rating, thirteen have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $104.47.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP David Michael Williams sold 8,614 shares of Merck & Co., Inc. stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $83.59, for a total value of $720,044.26. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 24,578 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,054,475.02. The trade was a 25.95% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Company insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

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.