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

Representative Jared Moskowitz (D-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 15th. The trade occurred in the Representative’s “MORGAN STANLEY ACTIVE ASSETS (6)” account.

Representative Jared Moskowitz also recently made the following trade(s):

• Purchased $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of AbbVie (NYSE:ABBV) on 1/15/2025.
• Purchased $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of McKesson (NYSE:MCK) on 1/15/2025.
• Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Canadian National Railway (NYSE:CNI) on 1/15/2025.
• Purchased $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Stryker (NYSE:SYK) on 1/15/2025.
• Purchased $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of The Goldman Sachs Group (NYSE:GS) on 1/15/2025.
• Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT) on 1/15/2025.

Merck & Co., Inc. Trading Down 0.6 %

Shares of MRK stock traded down $0.51 on Thursday, hitting $85.16. 5,941,629 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 13,913,684. The stock has a market capitalization of $215.43 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.67, a P/E/G ratio of 0.83 and a beta of 0.38. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $97.82 and its 200 day simple moving average is $105.65. Merck & Co., Inc. has a one year low of $84.69 and a one year high of $134.63. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.79, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a current ratio of 1.36.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 4th. The company reported $1.72 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates 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 net margin of 26.67% and a return on equity of 45.35%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 6.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.03 earnings per share. Equities analysts forecast that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 EPS for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a share buyback plan on Tuesday, January 28th that allows the company to repurchase $10.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the company to reacquire up to 4.1% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are generally a sign that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 7th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 17th will be paid a dividend of $0.81 per share. This represents a $3.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.80%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 17th. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 48.14%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on MRK shares. BMO Capital Markets reduced their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $105.00 to $96.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, February 5th. Citigroup cut their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $125.00 to $115.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. Daiwa America lowered shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, November 11th. HSBC raised shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $130.00 price target for the company in a research report on Wednesday, December 4th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective 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. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and three have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $117.06.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Inge G. Thulin acquired 2,833 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 6th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $88.25 per share, with a total value of $250,012.25. Following the acquisition, the director now directly owns 2,933 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $258,837.25. This trade represents a 2,833.00 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, insider Cristal N. Downing sold 2,361 shares of the 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 transaction, the insider now 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. Insiders own 0.09% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Merck & Co., Inc.

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of MRK. AMF Tjanstepension AB boosted its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 114.2% in the third quarter. AMF Tjanstepension AB now owns 802,384 shares of the company’s stock worth $91,205,000 after purchasing an additional 427,831 shares during the last quarter. InTrack Investment Management Inc lifted its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 13.0% in the 3rd quarter. InTrack Investment Management Inc now owns 3,835 shares of the company’s stock worth $436,000 after purchasing an additional 442 shares during the period. Mechanics Bank Trust Department grew its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 1.1% during the third quarter. Mechanics Bank Trust Department now owns 32,328 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,671,000 after buying an additional 354 shares during the period. Westend Capital Management LLC raised its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.2% in the third quarter. Westend Capital Management LLC now owns 4,835 shares of the company’s stock worth $549,000 after acquiring an additional 104 shares during the period. Finally, Annex Advisory Services LLC boosted its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 14.7% during the 3rd quarter. Annex Advisory Services LLC now owns 308,416 shares of the company’s stock worth $35,024,000 after acquiring an additional 39,631 shares during the last quarter. 76.07% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Representative Moskowitz

Jared Evan Moskowitz (Democratic Party) is a member of the U.S. House, representing Florida’s 23rd Congressional District. He assumed office on January 3, 2023. His current term ends on January 3, 2027.

Moskowitz (Democratic Party) is running for re-election to the U.S. House to represent Florida’s 23rd Congressional District. He declared candidacy for the 2026 election.

Jared Evan Moskowitz was born in Coral Springs, Florida. Moskowitz graduated from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. He earned a bachelor’s degree in political science and government from George Washington University in 2003 and a law degree from Nova Southeastern University in 2007. Moskowitz’s career experience includes working as the director of the Florida Division of Emergency Management and general counsel with AshBritt Inc.

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.