Montchanin Asset Management LLC reduced its position in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK – Free Report) by 7.8% during the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 4,733 shares of the company’s stock after selling 400 shares during the quarter. Montchanin Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $546,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.
A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Wahed Invest LLC raised its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.3% in the 1st quarter. Wahed Invest LLC now owns 32,439 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,451,000 after purchasing an additional 91 shares during the period. Richard W. Paul & Associates LLC raised its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 1.0% in the 2nd quarter. Richard W. Paul & Associates LLC now owns 9,389 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,083,000 after purchasing an additional 94 shares during the period. Financial Gravity Asset Management Inc. raised its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 32.2% in the 2nd quarter. Financial Gravity Asset Management Inc. now owns 386 shares of the company’s stock worth $12,730,000 after purchasing an additional 94 shares during the period. Versant Capital Management Inc raised its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 11.4% in the 2nd quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 926 shares of the company’s stock worth $107,000 after purchasing an additional 95 shares during the period. Finally, Providence Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 1.0% in the 1st quarter. Providence Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 9,711 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,106,000 after purchasing an additional 96 shares during the period. 74.59% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.
Insider Transactions at Merck & Co., Inc.
In other news, EVP Richard R. Deluca sold 43,823 shares of Merck & Co., Inc. stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $105.03, for a total transaction of $4,602,729.69. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 111,764 shares in the company, valued at $11,738,572.92. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. In other news, EVP Richard R. Deluca sold 43,823 shares of Merck & Co., Inc. stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $105.03, for a total transaction of $4,602,729.69. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 111,764 shares in the company, valued at $11,738,572.92. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, insider Johannes Jacobus Oosthuizen sold 2,081 shares of Merck & Co., Inc. stock in a transaction on Thursday, November 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $102.38, for a total transaction of $213,052.78. Following the sale, the insider now owns 18,191 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,862,394.58. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.20% of the company’s stock.
Merck & Co., Inc. Price Performance
Shares of MRK opened at $104.36 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $264.45 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 57.98, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 8.78 and a beta of 0.34. Merck & Co., Inc. has a twelve month low of $96.36 and a twelve month high of $119.65. The company has a quick ratio of 1.12, a current ratio of 1.38 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.82. The company has a 50 day moving average of $103.07 and a two-hundred day moving average of $106.71.
Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK – Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, October 26th. The company reported $2.13 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.94 by $0.19. The company had revenue of $16 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $15.30 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 7.77% and a return on equity of 18.26%. Merck & Co., Inc.’s revenue was up 7.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.85 earnings per share. As a group, analysts predict that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 1.37 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.
Merck & Co., Inc. Increases Dividend
The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 8th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 15th will be paid a $0.77 dividend. This represents a $3.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.95%. This is an increase from Merck & Co., Inc.’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.73. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, December 14th. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 162.22%.
Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth
MRK has been the topic of a number of research reports. Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $135.00 target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Wednesday, November 29th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft initiated coverage on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Thursday, November 9th. They set a “buy” rating and a $115.00 target price on the stock. BMO Capital Markets raised shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $132.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Friday, October 27th. Truist Financial reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $122.00 target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Friday, October 6th. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $115.00 to $118.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, October 27th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seventeen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $125.14.
View Our Latest Stock Report on Merck & Co., Inc.
Merck & Co., Inc. Profile
Merck & Co, Inc operates as a healthcare company worldwide. It operates through two segments, Pharmaceutical and Animal Health. The Pharmaceutical segment offers human health pharmaceutical products in the areas of oncology, hospital acute care, immunology, neuroscience, virology, cardiovascular, and diabetes, as well as vaccine products, such as preventive pediatric, adolescent, and adult vaccines.
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