Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) Stock Acquired Rep. Jared Moskowitz

Representative Jared Moskowitz (D-Florida) recently bought shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK). In a filing disclosed on December 09th, the Representative disclosed that they had bought between $1,001 and $15,000 in Merck & Co., Inc. stock on November 8th. The trade occurred in the Representative’s “MORGAN STANLEY ACTIVE ASSETS (5)” account.

Representative Jared Moskowitz also recently made the following trade(s):

• Purchased $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Elevance Health (NYSE:ELV) on 11/8/2024.
• Purchased $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Amazon.com (NASDAQ:AMZN) on 11/8/2024.
• Purchased $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Broadcom (NASDAQ:AVGO) on 11/8/2024.
• Purchased $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of QUALCOMM (NASDAQ:QCOM) on 11/8/2024.
• Purchased $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) on 11/8/2024.
• Purchased $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Tractor Supply (NASDAQ:TSCO) on 11/8/2024.
• Purchased $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) on 11/8/2024.
• Purchased $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG) on 11/8/2024.
• Sold $50,001 – $100,000 in shares of Seacoast Banking Co. of Florida (NASDAQ:SBCF) on 11/8/2024.
• Sold $15,001 – $50,000 in shares of Seacoast Banking Co. of Florida (NASDAQ:SBCF) on 11/8/2024.

Merck & Co., Inc. Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:MRK opened at $101.03 on Wednesday. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $104.11 and its 200-day moving average price is $115.56. Merck & Co., Inc. has a twelve month low of $94.48 and a twelve month high of $134.63. The company has a quick ratio of 1.15, a current ratio of 1.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.79. The stock has a market capitalization of $255.57 billion, a PE ratio of 21.17, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.48 and a beta of 0.39.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The company reported $1.57 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.50 by $0.07. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 19.23% and a return on equity of 36.42%. The company had revenue of $16.66 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $16.47 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.13 earnings per share. Merck & Co., Inc.’s revenue was up 4.4% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts expect that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 7.73 EPS for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 8th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 16th will be paid a $0.81 dividend. This represents a $3.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.21%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 16th. This is an increase from Merck & Co., Inc.’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.77. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio is currently 64.57%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have weighed in on MRK shares. Sanford C. Bernstein started coverage on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. They set a “market perform” rating and a $115.00 target price on the stock. Citigroup lowered their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $140.00 to $130.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, October 25th. HSBC upgraded Merck & Co., Inc. from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $130.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, December 4th. Daiwa Capital Markets lowered shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, November 11th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $125.00 to $110.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, November 1st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and four have issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Merck & Co., Inc. presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $129.20.

Institutional Trading of Merck & Co., Inc.

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of MRK. China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd. raised its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 16.6% in the 3rd quarter. China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 63,101 shares of the company’s stock valued at $7,211,000 after acquiring an additional 8,985 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.8% during the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 18,807,293 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,135,785,000 after acquiring an additional 514,060 shares in the last quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans lifted its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 3.5% during the third quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 1,837,354 shares of the company’s stock worth $208,649,000 after purchasing an additional 62,047 shares in the last quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors boosted its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 3.3% in the third quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 1,102,540 shares of the company’s stock valued at $125,204,000 after purchasing an additional 34,715 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. grew its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 30.2% during the third quarter. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. now owns 246,414 shares of the company’s stock worth $27,983,000 after buying an additional 57,106 shares in the last quarter. 76.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Representative Moskowitz

Jared Evan Moskowitz (Democratic Party) is a member of the U.S. House, representing Florida’s 23rd Congressional District. He assumed office on January 3, 2023. His current term ends on January 3, 2025. Moskowitz (Democratic Party) is running for re-election to the U.S. House to represent Florida’s 23rd Congressional District. He declared candidacy for the Democratic primary scheduled on August 20, 2024. Moskowitz resigned his state House seat on January 11, 2019, to head the state’s Division of Emergency Management. Jared Evan Moskowitz was born in Coral Springs, Florida. Moskowitz graduated from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. He earned a bachelor’s degree in political science and government from George Washington University in 2003 and a law degree from Nova Southeastern University in 2007. Moskowitz’s career experience includes working as the director of the Florida Division of Emergency Management and general counsel with AshBritt Inc.

Merck & Co., Inc. Company Profile

Merck & Co, Inc operates as a healthcare company worldwide. It operates through two segments, Pharmaceutical and Animal Health. The Pharmaceutical segment offers human health pharmaceutical products in the areas of oncology, hospital acute care, immunology, neuroscience, virology, cardiovascular, and diabetes under the Keytruda, Bridion, Adempas, Lagevrio, Belsomra, Simponi, and Januvia brands, as well as vaccine products consisting of preventive pediatric, adolescent, and adult vaccines under the Gardasil/Gardasil 9, ProQuad, M-M-R II, Varivax, RotaTeq, Live Oral, Vaxneuvance, Pneumovax 23, and Vaqta names.