As of Friday close, Merck & Co. Inc.’s (NYSE:MRK) stock was down -$0.73, moving down -0.69 percent to $105.00. The average number of shares traded per day over the past five days has been 8,205,720 shares. 2 times new highs have been achieved over the past 5 days, with a -$1.34 fall in that time frame. In the last twenty days, the average volume was 7,623,450, while in the previous 50 days, it was 7,849,376.
Since last month, MRK stock retreated -6.04%. Shares of the company fell to $104.51 on 08/04/23, the lowest level in the past month. A 52-week high of $119.65 was reached on 05/03/23 after having rallying from a 52-week low of $84.52. Since the beginning of this year, MRK’s stock price has dropped by -5.36% or -$5.95, and marked a new high 10 times. However, the stock has declined by -12.24% since its 52-week high.
MRK stock investors should be aware that Merck & Co. Inc. (MRK) stock had its last reported insider trading activity 2 days ago on Aug 03. MIZELL STEVEN, the EVP, Chief HR Officer of the company, disposed of 4,500 shares for $105.49 on Aug 03. It resulted in a $474,701 divestment by the insider. Romanelli Joseph sold 59 shares at an average price of $107.37 on Aug 02. The insider now owns 0 shares following the transaction. On Aug 02, President, Human Health Int?l Romanelli Joseph sold 30 shares at $107.37 apiece. The transaction was valued at $3,221.
Valuation Metrics
Right now, Merck & Co. Inc. (MRK) has a P/E ratio of about 20.49. The stock’s beta is 0.34. Besides these, the trailing price-to-sales (P/S) ratio of 4.56, the price-to-book (PB) ratio of 5.70, and the price-to-cash flow ratio of 63.68 may also be considered.
The latest dividend of $0.73 per share was paid out, remained unchanged from last year’s $0.73.
Financial Health
In the three months ended June 29, Merck & Co. Inc.’s quick ratio stood at 1.20, while its current ratio was 1.40, showing that the company is able to pay off its debt. According to company report, the long-term debt-to-equity ratio for the quarter ending June 29 was 0.60, and the total debt-to-equity ratio was 0.66. On the profitability front, the trailing twelve-month gross margin is 72.80% percent. In the year ended June 29, EBITDA margin amounted to 37.13%, whereas operating margins totaled 28.80%. Based on annual data, MRK earned $41.87 billion in gross profit and brought in $59.28 billion in revenue.
A company’s management is another factor that investors consider when determining the profitability of an investment. In the past year, return on investment (ROI) was 20.90%. Return on equity (ROE) for the past 12 months was 28.90%.
In Merck & Co. Inc.’s quarter-end financial report for June 29, it reported total debt of $28.75 billion against cash and short-term investments of $498.0 million. According to the earnings report, the company had a higher net income in the recent quarter than it did in the previous quarter. MRK’s revenue rose 12.74% to $14.96 billion during the quarter, while net income inched up to $13.83 billion. While analysts expected Merck & Co. Inc. to report -$2.18 quarterly earnings, the actual figure was -$2.06 per share, beating the consensus estimate by 5.50%. During the quarter, the company generated $4.8 billion in EBITDA. The liabilities of Merck & Co. Inc. were 60.89 billion at the end of its most recent quarter ended June 29, and its total debt was $30.75 billion. The value of shareholders’ equity is $2.54 billion.
Technical Picture
This quick technical analysis looks at Merck & Co. Inc.’s (MRK) price momentum. With a historical volatility rate of 13.22%, the RSI 9-day stood at 37.04% on 04 August.
With respect to its five-day moving average, the current Merck & Co. Inc. price is down by -1.26% percent or -$1.34. At present, MRK shares trade -3.67% below its 20-day simple moving average and -0.69% percent below its 100-day simple moving average. However, the stock is currently trading approximately -7.30% below its SMA50 and +11.56% above its SMA200.
Stochastic coefficient K was 12.41% and Stochastic coefficient D was 12.56%, while ATR was 2.09. Given the Stochastic reading of 8.03% for the 14-day period, the RSI (14) reading has been calculated as 39.15%. As of today, the MACD Oscillator reading stands at -0.59, while the 14-day reading stands at -1.25.
Analyst Ratings
HSBC Securities launched its rating on Merck & Co. Inc. (NYSE: MRK) to a Hold in a note to investors on July 14, 2023. Merck & Co. Inc. (MRK) has been rated Overweight by analysts. According to 0 brokerage firms, MRK is a sell, and 8 firms recommend it is a Hold. There are 0 analysts who say the stock is underweight. A total of 5 analysts rate Merck & Co. Inc. stock as buy, with 16 recommending it as overweight.
With a median target price of $126.00, the current consensus forecast for the stock is $110.00 – $135.00. Based on these forecasts, analysts predict Merck & Co. Inc. (MRK) will achieve an average price target of $124.78.
