<div id="readability-page-1"><p>Cove Private Wealth LLC purchased a new position in shares of  Merck &amp; Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) in the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm purchased 5,697 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $451,000.</p><div><p><span></span><span>Get <strong>Merck &amp; Co., Inc.</strong> alerts:</span></p></div><ul><li>As the Market Rotates, This Healthcare ETF Is Leading the Way</li></ul><p>Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Legend Financial Advisors Inc. bought a new position in shares of  Merck &amp; Co., Inc. during the 2nd quarter worth about $25,000.  Barnes Dennig Private Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of  Merck &amp; Co., Inc. during the 1st quarter worth approximately $27,000.  CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC lifted its position in shares of  Merck &amp; Co., Inc. by 141.7% during the 1st quarter. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC now owns 377 shares of the company's stock worth $34,000 after buying an additional 221 shares in the last quarter.  MorganRosel Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of  Merck &amp; Co., Inc. during the 1st quarter worth approximately $36,000.  Finally, MJT &amp; Associates Financial Advisory Group Inc. bought a new position in shares of  Merck &amp; Co., Inc. during the 1st quarter worth approximately $48,000. Institutional investors own  76.07% of the company's stock. </p><h2>Merck &amp; Co., Inc. Stock Performance</h2><p>Merck &amp; Co., Inc. stock opened at $78.51 on Friday. 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 company has a market capitalization of $196.10 billion, a PE ratio of 12.10, a P/E/G ratio of 0.80 and a beta of 0.37. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $82.53 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $81.98. Merck &amp; Co., Inc. has a twelve month low of $73.31 and a twelve month high of $114.79. </p><ul><li>Moderna  Stock Looks Ripe for a Short Squeeze</li></ul><p>Merck &amp; Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 29th. The company reported $2.13 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.03 by $0.10. Merck &amp; Co., Inc. had a net margin of 25.79% and a return on equity of 41.05%. The business had revenue of $15.81 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $15.92 billion.  Merck &amp; Co., Inc. has set its FY 2025 guidance at 8.870-8.970 EPS. Research analysts expect that  Merck &amp; Co., Inc. will post 9.01 EPS for the current year. </p><h2>Merck &amp; Co., Inc. Announces Dividend</h2><p>The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, October 7th. Investors of record on Monday, September 15th will be given a dividend of $0.81 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 15th. This represents a $3.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.1%. Merck &amp; Co., Inc.'s payout ratio is currently 49.92%. </p><h2>Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth</h2><ul><li>Moderna: 4 Key Reasons the CEO Just Bought $5M in Shares</li></ul><p>Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Berenberg Bank lowered shares of Merck &amp; Co., Inc. from a &#34;buy&#34; rating to a &#34;hold&#34; rating and decreased their price target for the stock from $100.00 to $90.00 in a research note on Wednesday, September 17th. Wells Fargo &amp; Company reduced their price target on shares of Merck &amp; Co., Inc. from $97.00 to $90.00 and set an &#34;equal weight&#34; rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, July 30th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on shares of Merck &amp; Co., Inc. from $99.00 to $98.00 and set an &#34;equal weight&#34; rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, July 10th. One equities research analyst  has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have assigned  a Buy rating, thirteen have issued  a Hold rating and one  has assigned  a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of &#34;Hold&#34; and a consensus price target of $106.41.</p><p><b>Read Our Latest Stock Analysis on Merck &amp; Co., Inc.</b></p><h2>About Merck &amp; Co., Inc.</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>Further Reading</h2><ul><li>Five stocks we like better than Merck &amp; Co., Inc.</li><li>How to Invest in Tech Stocks and Top Tech Stocks to Consider</li><li>Pfizer is Locking in New Growth Through a New Acquisition </li><li>Canada Bond Market Holiday: How to Invest and Trade </li><li>Copper Giant Freeport Slumps but Analysts See 33% Upside</li><li>Most Volatile Stocks, What Investors Need to Know</li><li>The BYD Opportunity: Tesla-Like Growth at a Fraction of the Price</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>Cove Private Wealth LLC has acquired 5,697 shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) valued at approximately $451,000 in Q2, as per its SEC filing. Other institutional investors have also increased their stakes in Merck. The company's stock opened at $78.51, with a market cap of $196.10 billion and a PE ratio of 12.10. Merck recently reported earnings of $2.13 per share, exceeding estimates, and declared a quarterly dividend of $0.81 per share. Analysts have mixed ratings on the stock, with a consensus rating of "Hold" and a price target of $106.41.</p>

Cove Private Wealth LLC Makes New Investment in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK