Rep. Byron Donalds Sells Off Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK)

Representative Byron Donalds (R-Florida) recently sold shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK). In a filing disclosed on February 10th, the Representative disclosed that they had sold between $1,001 and $15,000 in Merck & Co., Inc. stock on January 16th. The trade occurred in the Representative’s “MORAN WEALTH IRA” account.

Representative Byron Donalds also recently made the following trade(s):

• Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of RLI (NYSE:RLI) on 1/21/2025.
• Purchased $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of GoDaddy (NYSE:GDDY) on 1/21/2025.
• Purchased $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of First Citizens BancShares (NASDAQ:FCNCA) on 1/21/2025.
• Purchased $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of GoDaddy (NYSE:GDDY) on 1/16/2025.
• Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of RLI (NYSE:RLI) on 1/16/2025.
• Purchased $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of First Citizens BancShares (NASDAQ:FCNCA) on 1/16/2025.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Down 1.0 %

Shares of NYSE MRK opened at $85.71 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.79, a current ratio of 1.36 and a quick ratio of 1.15. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $97.82 and a 200-day moving average price of $105.65. The stock has a market capitalization of $216.82 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.74, a P/E/G ratio of 0.83 and a beta of 0.38. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 1 year low of $85.61 and a 1 year high of $134.63.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 4th. The company reported $1.72 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates 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 the consensus estimate of $15.51 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.03 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 7th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 17th will be issued a dividend of $0.81 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 17th. This represents a $3.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.78%. Merck & Co., Inc.’s payout ratio is 48.14%.

Merck & Co., Inc. declared that its board has authorized a share repurchase plan on Tuesday, January 28th that allows the company to repurchase $10.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the company to repurchase up to 4.1% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are typically a sign that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have weighed in on the company. Guggenheim dropped their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $122.00 to $115.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday. Truist Financial reissued a “hold” rating and set a $110.00 price target (down from $130.00) on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. BMO Capital Markets reduced their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $105.00 to $96.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, February 5th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $125.00 to $110.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, November 1st. Finally, Hsbc Global Res upgraded Merck & Co., Inc. from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 4th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and three have given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $117.06.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Inge G. Thulin bought 2,833 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 6th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $88.25 per share, with a total value of $250,012.25. Following the acquisition, the director now owns 2,933 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $258,837.25. The trade was a 2,833.00 % increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, 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 $628,864.60. This trade represents a 24.99 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.09% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Merck & Co., Inc.

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Midwest Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Financial Life Planners bought a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the fourth quarter worth $28,000. Noble Wealth Management PBC purchased a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the fourth quarter valued at $28,000. Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. Finally, Promus Capital LLC purchased a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. during the 4th quarter worth about $30,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.07% of the company’s stock.

About Representative Donalds

Byron Donalds (Republican Party) is a member of the U.S. House, representing Florida’s 19th Congressional District. He assumed office on January 3, 2021. His current term ends on January 3, 2027.

Donalds (Republican Party) is running for re-election to the U.S. House to represent Florida’s 19th Congressional District. He declared candidacy for the 2026 election.

Byron Donalds was born in Brooklyn, New York, and lives in Naples, Florida. Donalds earned a bachelor’s degree in finance and marketing from Florida State University in 2002. His career experience includes working as a commercial credit officer in banking and as a portfolio manager in financial services.

Merck & Co., Inc. Company Profile

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.