Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) Stock Unloaded Rep. Kelly Morrison

Representative Kelly Morrison (D-Minnesota) recently sold shares of Merck & Co., Inc. NYSE: MRK. In a filing disclosed on April 11th, the Representative disclosed that they had sold between $1,001 and $15,000 in Merck & Co., Inc. stock on March 20th. The trade occurred in the Representative's "TRUST 2" account.

Representative Kelly Morrison also recently made the following trade(s):

• Purchased $1,001 - $15,000 in shares of Meta Platforms NASDAQ: META on 3/24/2025.
• Purchased $15,001 - $50,000 in shares of Meta Platforms NASDAQ: META on 3/24/2025.
• Purchased $1,001 - $15,000 in shares of Broadcom NASDAQ: AVGO on 3/21/2025.
• Sold $100,001 - $250,000 in shares of Target NYSE: TGT on 3/21/2025.
• Sold $15,001 - $50,000 in shares of Target NYSE: TGT on 3/21/2025.
• Sold $1,001 - $15,000 in shares of D.R. Horton NYSE: DHI on 3/20/2025.
• Sold $1,001 - $15,000 in shares of CACI International NYSE: CACI on 3/20/2025.
• Sold $1,001 - $15,000 in shares of United Parcel Service NYSE: UPS on 3/20/2025.
• Sold $1,001 - $15,000 in shares of Diageo NYSE: DEO on 3/20/2025.
• Purchased $1,001 - $15,000 in shares of Target NYSE: TGT on 3/3/2025.

Merck & Co., Inc. Price Performance

MRK stock traded down $0.89 on Tuesday, hitting $78.28. 16,039,392 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 11,584,687. The stock has a market cap of $197.75 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.63, a P/E/G ratio of 0.77 and a beta of 0.40. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 1-year low of $75.96 and a 1-year 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 stock has a fifty day moving average of $88.03 and a 200-day moving average of $96.91.

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Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 4th. The company reported $1.72 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.85 by ($0.13). The company had revenue of $15.62 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $15.51 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 45.35% and a net margin of 26.67%. The business's revenue was up 6.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.03 earnings per share. On average, analysts forecast that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. announced that its board has approved 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 stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are often a sign that the company's board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, April 7th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 17th were issued a $0.81 dividend. This represents a $3.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.14%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 17th. Merck & Co., Inc.'s payout ratio is 48.14%.

Institutional Trading of Merck & Co., Inc.

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Midwest Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Financial Life Planners bought a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. in the 4th quarter worth $28,000. Noble Wealth Management PBC acquired a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. during the 4th quarter worth $28,000. Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. during the fourth quarter valued at about $28,000. Finally, Promus Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the fourth quarter valued at about $30,000. Institutional investors own 76.07% of the company's stock.

Insider Transactions at Merck & Co., Inc.

In related news, insider Cristal N. Downing sold 2,361 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $88.76, for a total transaction of $209,562.36. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 7,085 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $628,864.60. The trade was a 24.99 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Inge G. Thulin acquired 2,833 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 6th. The shares were bought at an average price of $88.25 per share, for a total transaction of $250,012.25. Following the acquisition, the director now owns 2,933 shares in the company, valued at approximately $258,837.25. This trade represents a 2,833.00 % increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 0.09% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MRK has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Bank of America cut their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $118.00 to $112.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. Citigroup decreased their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $125.00 to $115.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. Truist Financial reiterated a "hold" rating and set a $110.00 price objective (down from $130.00) on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. Leerink Partners reduced their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $136.00 to $119.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Monday, January 13th. Finally, Guggenheim lowered their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $122.00 to $115.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and three have issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $115.50.

About Representative Morrison

Kelly Morrison (Democratic Party) is a member of the U.S. House, representing Minnesota's 3rd Congressional District. She assumed office on January 3, 2025. Her current term ends on January 3, 2027. Morrison (Democratic Party) is running for re-election to the U.S. House to represent Minnesota's 3rd Congressional District. She declared candidacy for the 2026 election. Kelly Morrison was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and lives in Deephaven. Morrison earned a B.A. in history from Yale University and an M.D. from Case Western Reserve University. She completed her residency in obstetrics and gynecology at Northwestern University. Morrison's career experience includes working as a physician.

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.