Top 10 Dividend Stocks

7. Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK)

Dividend Yield as of July 25: 3.06%

An American pharmaceutical company, Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) offers a quarterly dividend of $0.69 per share. The company has an 11-year track record of consistent dividend growth, with negative dividend cuts since 1985. Its cash flow generation remained solid in Q1 at $14.7 billion and expects to reach $25 billion in FCF by December 2022. As of July 25, the stock’s dividend yield came in at 3.06%.

In July, UBS lifted its price target on Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) to $98 with a Neutral rating on the shares, expecting earnings growth at the current valuation.

As per Insider Monkey’s data, the elite funds’ interest in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) increased in Q1 2022, with the company becoming a part of 84 hedge fund portfolios, up from 80 in the previous quarter. These hedge funds owned stakes worth over $5.8 billion in the New Jersey-based company.

Carillon Tower Advisers mentioned Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) in its Q1 2022 investor letter. Here is what the firm has to say:

“Merck (NYSE:MRK) is a global pharmaceutical and chemicals company based in Germany. Shares fell along with other vaccine-linked names after the U.S. Supreme Court blocked a rule mandating that businesses with more than 100 employees require those employed to either be vaccinated or tested weekly.”