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

Posted by Defense World Staff on Apr 16th, 2025

Representative Kelly Morrison (D-Minnesota) recently sold shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK). In a filing disclosed on April 11th, the Representative disclosed that they had sold between $1,001 and $15,000 in Merck & Co., Inc. stock on March 20th. The trade occurred in the Representative’s “TRUST 2” account.

Representative Kelly Morrison also recently made the following trade(s):

Purchased $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) on 3/24/2025.
Purchased $15,001 – $50,000 in shares of Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) on 3/24/2025.
Purchased $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Broadcom (NASDAQ:AVGO) on 3/21/2025.
Sold $100,001 – $250,000 in shares of Target (NYSE:TGT) on 3/21/2025.
Sold $15,001 – $50,000 in shares of Target (NYSE:TGT) on 3/21/2025.
Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of D.R. Horton (NYSE:DHI) on 3/20/2025.
Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of CACI International (NYSE:CACI) on 3/20/2025.
Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) on 3/20/2025.
Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Diageo (NYSE:DEO) on 3/20/2025.
Purchased $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Target (NYSE:TGT) on 3/3/2025.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:MRK opened at $78.28 on Wednesday. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $88.03 and its 200 day simple moving average is $96.91. The company has a market capitalization of $197.75 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.63, a P/E/G ratio of 0.77 and a beta of 0.40. Merck & Co., Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $75.96 and a fifty-two week high of $134.63. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.79, a current ratio of 1.36 and a quick ratio of 1.15.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK – Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The company reported $1.72 earnings per share 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 during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $15.51 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.03 earnings per share. Merck & Co., Inc.’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.8% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 earnings per share for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, April 7th. Investors of record on Monday, March 17th were issued a $0.81 dividend. This represents a $3.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.14%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 17th. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio is 48.14%.

Merck & Co., Inc. declared that its board has initiated a stock buyback program on Tuesday, January 28th that authorizes the company to buyback $10.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the company to purchase up to 4.1% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are generally a sign that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

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

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Yarger Wealth Strategies LLC raised its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 13.6% in the 1st quarter. Yarger Wealth Strategies LLC now owns 2,883 shares of the company’s stock worth $259,000 after purchasing an additional 346 shares during the period. Davis Investment Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. in the 1st quarter worth about $658,000. Net Worth Advisory Group lifted its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 10.6% during the first quarter. Net Worth Advisory Group now owns 15,004 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,347,000 after purchasing an additional 1,441 shares during the last quarter. apricus wealth LLC raised its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 36.4% in the first quarter. apricus wealth LLC now owns 30,037 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,696,000 after purchasing an additional 8,014 shares during the period. Finally, Greenwood Capital Associates LLC bought a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. in the 1st quarter worth approximately $6,844,000. 76.07% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have recently commented on MRK. UBS Group reduced their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $125.00 to $120.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $113.00 to $106.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. Guggenheim reduced their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $122.00 to $115.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. BMO Capital Markets reduced their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $105.00 to $96.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. Finally, Bank of America dropped their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $118.00 to $112.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, February 5th. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and three have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $115.50.

View Our Latest Analysis on MRK

Insider Activity at Merck & Co., Inc.

In other news, insider Cristal N. Downing sold 2,361 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, Director Inge G. Thulin bought 2,833 shares of Merck & Co., Inc. stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 6th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $88.25 per share, for a total transaction of $250,012.25. Following the purchase, the director now owns 2,933 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $258,837.25. The trade was a 2,833.00 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 0.09% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

About Representative Morrison

Kelly Morrison (Democratic Party) is a member of the U.S. House, representing Minnesota’s 3rd Congressional District. She assumed office on January 3, 2025. Her current term ends on January 3, 2027.

Morrison (Democratic Party) is running for re-election to the U.S. House to represent Minnesota’s 3rd Congressional District. She declared candidacy for the 2026 election.

Kelly Morrison was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and lives in Deephaven. Morrison earned a B.A. in history from Yale University and an M.D. from Case Western Reserve University. She completed her residency in obstetrics and gynecology at Northwestern University. Morrison’s career experience includes working as a physician.

About Merck & Co., Inc.

(Get Free Report)

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.