Representative Gilbert Ray Cisneros, Jr. (D-California) recently sold shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK). In a filing disclosed on April 07th, the Representative disclosed that they had sold between $15,001 and $50,000 in Merck & Co., Inc. stock on March 31st. The trade occurred in the Representative's "150 MAIN STREET TRUST > BANK OF AMERICA" account.
Representative Gilbert Ray Cisneros, Jr. also recently made the following trade(s):
- Purchased $15,001 - $50,000 in shares of PTC NASDAQ: PTC on 4/1/2025.
- Sold $1,001 - $15,000 in shares of W. R. Berkley NYSE: WRB on 4/1/2025.
- Sold $15,001 - $50,000 in shares of GoDaddy NYSE: GDDY on 4/1/2025.
- Purchased $1,001 - $15,000 in shares of Ford Motor NYSE: F on 3/31/2025.
- Sold $15,001 - $50,000 in shares of Microsoft NASDAQ: MSFT on 3/31/2025.
- Sold $15,001 - $50,000 in shares of Pfizer NYSE: PFE on 3/31/2025.
- Purchased $1,001 - $15,000 in shares of Boeing NYSE: BA on 3/31/2025.
- Sold $1,001 - $15,000 in shares of Hologic NASDAQ: HOLX on 3/31/2025.
- Sold $1,001 - $15,000 in shares of Tesla NASDAQ: TSLA on 3/31/2025.
- Sold $1,001 - $15,000 in shares of Viatris NASDAQ: VTRS on 3/31/2025.
Merck & Co., Inc. Trading Up 2.1 %
MRK traded up $1.59 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $79.14. The company's stock had a trading volume of 16,176,635 shares, compared to its average volume of 11,512,141. The firm has a market cap of $199.91 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.76, a PEG ratio of 0.77 and a beta of 0.40. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 52-week low of $75.96 and a 52-week high of $134.63. The company has a current ratio of 1.36, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.79. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $88.43 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $97.39.
Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The company reported $1.72 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 company had revenue of $15.62 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $15.51 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.03 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 6.8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts anticipate that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 earnings per share for the current year.
Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement
The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, April 7th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 17th were given a $0.81 dividend. This represents a $3.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.09%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 17th. Merck & Co., Inc.'s dividend payout ratio is currently 48.14%.
Merck & Co., Inc. announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a share repurchase program on Tuesday, January 28th that allows the company to repurchase $10.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the company to purchase up to 4.1% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are often an indication that the company's management believes its shares are undervalued.
Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth
MRK has been the subject of a number of research reports. Bank of America dropped their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $118.00 to $112.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. UBS Group cut their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $125.00 to $120.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft downgraded shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and decreased their price objective for the stock from $128.00 to $105.00 in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. Morgan Stanley cut their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $113.00 to $106.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. Finally, Citigroup cut their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $125.00 to $115.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, February 5th. Eleven equities 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 company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Merck & Co., Inc. currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $115.50.
Read Our Latest Analysis on MRK
Insider Buying and Selling at Merck & Co., Inc.
In other Merck & Co., Inc. news, insider Cristal N. Downing sold 2,361 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $88.76, for a total value of $209,562.36. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 7,085 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $628,864.60. This represents a 24.99 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Inge G. Thulin bought 2,833 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 6th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $88.25 per share, for a total transaction of $250,012.25. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now directly owns 2,933 shares in the company, valued at approximately $258,837.25. This represents a 2,833.00 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 0.09% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.
Institutional Trading of Merck & Co., Inc.
A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of MRK. Perkins Coie Trust Co raised its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.3% during the first quarter. Perkins Coie Trust Co now owns 6,021 shares of the company's stock valued at $540,000 after purchasing an additional 136 shares in the last quarter. Godsey & Gibb Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 11.9% in the first quarter. Godsey & Gibb Inc. now owns 208,129 shares of the company's stock valued at $18,682,000 after acquiring an additional 22,125 shares in the last quarter. WealthBridge Investment Counsel Inc. raised its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.4% during the first quarter. WealthBridge Investment Counsel Inc. now owns 85,635 shares of the company's stock worth $7,687,000 after purchasing an additional 325 shares in the last quarter. Gateway Investment Advisers LLC raised its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 11.0% during the first quarter. Gateway Investment Advisers LLC now owns 615,565 shares of the company's stock worth $55,253,000 after purchasing an additional 61,003 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Alliance Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.4% in the first quarter. Alliance Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 14,135 shares of the company's stock worth $1,269,000 after purchasing an additional 336 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.07% of the company's stock.
About Representative Cisneros
Gil Cisneros (Democratic Party) is a member of the U.S. House, representing California's 31st Congressional District. He assumed office on January 3, 2025. His current term ends on January 3, 2027.
Cisneros (Democratic Party) is running for re-election to the U.S. House to represent California's 31st Congressional District. He declared candidacy for the 2026 election.
Gil Cisneros served in the U.S. Navy as a supply officer from 1994 to 2004. Cisneros earned a bachelor's degree in political science from George Washington University in 1994, a master's in business administration from Regis University in 2002, and a master's degree in urban education policy from Brown University in 2015. His career experience includes working as a logistics manager for Frito-Lay. In 2010, Cisneros won the lottery and became involved in activism and philanthropy, founding a scholarship program for local high school students. In 2021, President Joe Biden (D) appointed Cisneros as under secretary of defense for personnel and readiness.
About Merck & Co., Inc.
(
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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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