Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) Stock Unloaded Rep. Gilbert Ray Cisneros, Jr.

Representative Gilbert Ray Cisneros, Jr. (D-California) recently sold shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK). In a filing disclosed on February 11th, the Representative disclosed that they had sold between $1,001 and $15,000 in Merck & Co., Inc. stock on January 24th. 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):

• Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of ICF International (NASDAQ:ICFI) on 2/3/2025.
• Purchased $15,001 – $50,000 in shares of CACI International (NYSE:CACI) on 1/31/2025.
• Purchased $50,001 – $100,000 in shares of Hawaiian Electric Industries (NYSE:HE) on 1/31/2025.
• Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Broadcom (NASDAQ:AVGO) on 1/30/2025.
• Purchased $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Intuitive Surgical (NASDAQ:ISRG) on 1/30/2025.
• Purchased $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Agios Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:AGIO) on 1/29/2025.
• Purchased $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of SpringWorks Therapeutics (NASDAQ:SWTX) on 1/29/2025.
• Purchased $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Paragon 28 (NYSE:FNA) on 1/29/2025.
• Purchased $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of U.S. Physical Therapy (NYSE:USPH) on 1/29/2025.
• Purchased $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Crinetics Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:CRNX) on 1/29/2025.

Merck & Co., Inc. Trading Down 1.0 %

NYSE:MRK traded down $0.87 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $84.80. The company had a trading volume of 10,896,720 shares, compared to its average volume of 14,066,762. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 1 year low of $84.69 and a 1 year high of $134.63. The company has a market cap of $214.51 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.60, a P/E/G ratio of 0.83 and a beta of 0.38. The company has a 50-day moving average of $97.82 and a 200 day moving average of $105.65. The company has a current ratio of 1.36, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.79.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 4th. The company reported $1.72 earnings per share (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 firm had revenue of $15.62 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $15.51 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.03 earnings per share. Merck & Co., Inc.’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.8% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts expect that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 earnings per share for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 7th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 17th will be given a $0.81 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 17th. This represents a $3.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.82%. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 48.14%.

Merck & Co., Inc. declared that its board has authorized a share buyback program on Tuesday, January 28th that authorizes the company to buyback $10.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the company to reacquire up to 4.1% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are usually a sign that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Institutional Trading of Merck & Co., Inc.

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Monetary Management Group Inc. increased its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 5.9% during the fourth quarter. Monetary Management Group Inc. now owns 13,810 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,374,000 after buying an additional 775 shares during the period. Heritage Trust Co purchased a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. in the 4th quarter valued at $7,196,000. Jaffetilchin Investment Partners LLC boosted its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 7.5% during the 4th quarter. Jaffetilchin Investment Partners LLC now owns 29,390 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,924,000 after purchasing an additional 2,059 shares during the period. Eley Financial Management Inc boosted its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 30.3% during the 4th quarter. Eley Financial Management Inc now owns 14,775 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,470,000 after purchasing an additional 3,433 shares during the period. Finally, Covestor Ltd grew its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 116.9% during the 4th quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 2,490 shares of the company’s stock worth $248,000 after purchasing an additional 1,342 shares during the last quarter. 76.07% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Merck & Co., Inc.

In other Merck & Co., Inc. news, Director Inge G. Thulin acquired 2,833 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 6th. The shares were bought 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 $258,837.25. This trade represents a 2,833.00 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Cristal N. Downing sold 2,361 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 $628,864.60. This 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 currently owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have commented on the company. Morgan Stanley reduced their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $113.00 to $106.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, February 5th. Daiwa America cut Merck & Co., Inc. from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, November 11th. BMO Capital Markets cut their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $105.00 to $96.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. Wolfe Research began coverage on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Friday, November 15th. They issued a “peer perform” rating for the company. Finally, TD Cowen downgraded shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and cut their target price for the stock from $121.00 to $100.00 in a research note on Monday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and three have issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $117.06.

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.

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.