<div id="readability-page-1"><p>Garde Capital Inc. lowered its position in shares of  Merck &amp; Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 62.6% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 2,207 shares of the company's stock after selling 3,695 shares during the quarter. Garde Capital Inc.'s holdings in Merck &amp; Co., Inc. were worth $175,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.</p><ul><li>As the Market Rotates, This Healthcare ETF Is Leading the Way</li></ul><p>Other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Barnes Dennig Private Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in  Merck &amp; Co., Inc. during the first quarter valued at approximately $27,000.  CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC grew its holdings in  Merck &amp; Co., Inc. by 141.7% during the first quarter. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC now owns 377 shares of the company's stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 221 shares during the period.  MorganRosel Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in  Merck &amp; Co., Inc. during the first quarter valued at approximately $36,000.  Spurstone Advisory Services LLC acquired a new position in  Merck &amp; Co., Inc. during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $37,000.  Finally, Mpwm Advisory Solutions LLC bought a new position in  Merck &amp; Co., Inc. in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $45,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own  76.07% of the company's stock. </p><div><p><span></span><span>Get <strong>Merck &amp; Co., Inc.</strong> alerts:</span></p></div><h2>Merck &amp; Co., Inc. Stock Performance</h2><p>Shares of MRK stock opened at $82.87 on Friday. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $82.93 and its 200-day simple moving average is $82.81. The company has a quick ratio of 1.17, a current ratio of 1.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. The firm has a market cap of $206.99 billion, a PE ratio of 12.77, a P/E/G ratio of 0.87 and a beta of 0.37. Merck &amp; Co., Inc. has a 12 month low of $73.31 and a 12 month high of $119.38. </p><ul><li>Moderna  Stock Looks Ripe for a Short Squeeze</li></ul><p>Merck &amp; Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 29th. The company reported $2.13 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.03 by $0.10. The business had revenue of $15.81 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $15.92 billion. Merck &amp; Co., Inc. had a net margin of 25.79% and a return on equity of 41.05%.  Merck &amp; Co., Inc. has set its FY 2025 guidance at 8.870-8.970 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that  Merck &amp; Co., Inc. will post 9.01 EPS for the current fiscal year. </p><h2>Merck &amp; Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement</h2><p>The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, October 7th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 15th will be given a $0.81 dividend. This represents a $3.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 15th. Merck &amp; Co., Inc.'s payout ratio is currently 49.92%. </p><h2>Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades</h2><ul><li>Moderna: 4 Key Reasons the CEO Just Bought $5M in Shares</li></ul><p>A number of brokerages have weighed in on MRK. Cantor Fitzgerald lowered shares of Merck &amp; Co., Inc. from an &#34;overweight&#34; rating to a &#34;cautious&#34; rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 20th. Morgan Stanley cut their price target on shares of Merck &amp; Co., Inc. from $99.00 to $98.00 and set an &#34;equal weight&#34; rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, July 10th. Finally, Wells Fargo &amp; Company cut their price target on shares of Merck &amp; Co., Inc. from $97.00 to $90.00 and set an &#34;equal weight&#34; rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, July 30th. One analyst  has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have issued  a Buy rating, twelve have assigned  a Hold rating and one  has assigned  a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock  has a consensus rating of &#34;Hold&#34; and an average target price of $107.44.</p><p><b>Read Our Latest Stock Report on MRK</b></p><h2>Merck &amp; Co., Inc. Company Profile</h2> (Free Report)<p>Merck &amp; 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.</p><h2>Featured Articles</h2><ul><li>Five stocks we like better than Merck &amp; Co., Inc.</li><li>Pros And Cons Of Monthly Dividend Stocks</li><li>Ride the Luxury Retail Wave with These 3 High-End Brand Stocks</li><li>Stock Market Upgrades: What Are They?</li><li>Wall Street Quietly Bets Big on These Chinese Tech Giants</li><li>Differences Between Momentum Investing and Long Term Investing </li><li>Meta's $600B U.S. Investment: Bearish or Bullish for Shares? </li></ul><p><strong>Want to see what other hedge funds are holding MRK?</strong> Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Merck &amp; Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report).</p><p><img src="https://imageproxy.pbkrs.com/https://www.marketbeat.com/scripts/SECFilingChart.ashx/query-UHJlZml4PU5ZU0UmU3ltYm9sPU1SSw?x-oss-process=image/auto-orient,1/interlace,1/resize,w_1440,h_1440/quality,q_95/format,jpg" width="650" height="350" original-src="https://imageproxy.pbkrs.com/https://www.marketbeat.com/scripts/SECFilingChart.ashx/query-UHJlZml4PU5ZU0UmU3ltYm9sPU1SSw"/></p><p><em>This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.</em></p><h2>Should You Invest $1,000 in Merck &amp; Co., Inc. Right Now?</h2><p>Before you consider Merck &amp; Co., Inc., you'll want to hear this.</p><p>MarketBeat keeps track of Wall Street's top-rated and best performing research analysts and the stocks they recommend to their clients on a daily basis. MarketBeat has identified the five stocks that top analysts are quietly whispering to their clients to buy now before the broader market catches on... and Merck &amp; Co., Inc. wasn't on the list.</p><p>While Merck &amp; Co., Inc. currently has a Hold rating among analysts, top-rated analysts believe these five stocks are better buys.</p><p>View The Five Stocks Here</p>                  </div>

<p>Garde Capital Inc. reduced its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 62.6% in Q2, now holding 2,207 shares valued at $175,000. Other institutional investors have also adjusted their positions. Merck's stock opened at $82.87, with a market cap of $206.99 billion and a PE ratio of 12.77. The company reported $2.13 EPS for the last quarter, exceeding estimates. Merck announced a quarterly dividend of $0.81, with a yield of 3.9%. Analysts have mixed ratings on the stock, with a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $107.44.</p>

Garde Capital Inc. Has $175,000 Position in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK