Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK – Get Rating) – Stock analysts at SVB Leerink raised their FY2024 earnings estimates for shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report issued to clients and investors on Tuesday, April 4th. SVB Leerink analyst D. Graybosch now forecasts that the company will post earnings of $8.58 per share for the year, up from their prior estimate of $8.51. SVB Leerink has a “Outperform” rating and a $122.00 price objective on the stock. The consensus estimate for Merck & Co., Inc.’s current full-year earnings is $6.87 per share. SVB Leerink also issued estimates for Merck & Co., Inc.’s FY2027 earnings at $10.84 EPS.
Several other research analysts have also recently weighed in on MRK. StockNews.com assumed coverage on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Thursday, March 16th. They set a “buy” rating on the stock. Barclays lifted their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $110.00 to $128.00 in a research note on Tuesday, December 20th. Societe Generale cut shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 28th. Bank of America upgraded shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $110.00 to $130.00 in a research note on Wednesday, January 4th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and lowered their target price for the company from $120.00 to $115.00 in a research note on Monday, March 13th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Merck & Co., Inc. presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $119.35.
Merck & Co., Inc. Trading Up 2.8 %
Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK – Get Rating) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 2nd. The company reported $1.62 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.56 by $0.06. The business had revenue of $13.83 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $13.66 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 24.49% and a return on equity of 43.47%. The firm’s revenue was up 2.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.80 EPS.
Hedge Funds Weigh In On Merck & Co., Inc.
A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Empowered Funds LLC grew its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 47.9% in the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 67,133 shares of the company’s stock worth $7,142,000 after acquiring an additional 21,748 shares in the last quarter. Martin Capital Partners LLC lifted its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 1.1% in the 1st quarter. Martin Capital Partners LLC now owns 69,256 shares of the company’s stock worth $7,368,000 after purchasing an additional 736 shares during the period. Rise Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 9.2% in the 1st quarter. Rise Advisors LLC now owns 4,565 shares of the company’s stock worth $486,000 after purchasing an additional 383 shares during the period. Empirical Finance LLC lifted its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 5.8% in the 1st quarter. Empirical Finance LLC now owns 70,381 shares of the company’s stock worth $7,488,000 after purchasing an additional 3,830 shares during the period. Finally, Cullinan Associates Inc. lifted its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 35.4% in the 1st quarter. Cullinan Associates Inc. now owns 76,846 shares of the company’s stock worth $8,176,000 after purchasing an additional 20,104 shares during the period. 72.89% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.
Insider Activity at Merck & Co., Inc.
In related news, insider Sanat Chattopadhyay sold 83,994 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, January 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $112.29, for a total transaction of $9,431,686.26. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 29,500 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,312,555. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. In related news, insider Sanat Chattopadhyay sold 83,994 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, January 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $112.29, for a total transaction of $9,431,686.26. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 29,500 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,312,555. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Steven Mizell sold 4,436 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $104.25, for a total transaction of $462,453.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 39,900 shares in the company, valued at $4,159,575. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 100,245 shares of company stock worth $11,168,256. Insiders own 0.29% of the company’s stock.
Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement
The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 10th. Investors of record on Wednesday, March 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.73 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 14th. This represents a $2.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.61%. Merck & Co., Inc.’s payout ratio is 51.14%.
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.
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