AIA Group Ltd grew its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 58.0% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 545,935 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 200,498 shares during the period. Merck & Co., Inc. comprises about 1.3% of AIA Group Ltd's portfolio, making the stock its 14th biggest position. AIA Group Ltd's holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $54,310,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.
Several other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in MRK. Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 8.9% during the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 6,355,950 shares of the company's stock worth $721,782,000 after buying an additional 518,270 shares during the period. Edgestream Partners L.P. increased its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 115.3% in the 3rd quarter. Edgestream Partners L.P. now owns 20,996 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,384,000 after purchasing an additional 11,246 shares during the last quarter. Encompass More Asset Management acquired a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the 3rd quarter valued at $279,000. Cobblestone Capital Advisors LLC NY lifted its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.6% during the 3rd quarter. Cobblestone Capital Advisors LLC NY now owns 37,710 shares of the company's stock worth $4,282,000 after purchasing an additional 215 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Plotkin Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the third quarter worth $1,147,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.07% of the company's stock.
Analysts Set New Price Targets
A number of analysts have weighed in on the company. Truist Financial restated a "hold" rating and issued a $110.00 price target (down from $130.00) on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. Citigroup decreased their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $125.00 to $115.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. Hsbc Global Res upgraded shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 4th. Morgan Stanley cut their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $113.00 to $106.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. Finally, UBS Group decreased their price objective on shares of 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. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and three have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $117.12.
View Our Latest Stock Report on Merck & Co., Inc.
Insider Buying and Selling
In other news, Director Inge G. Thulin purchased 2,833 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 6th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $88.25 per share, with a total value of $250,012.25. Following the purchase, the director now directly 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 purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, insider Cristal N. Downing sold 2,361 shares of the firm's 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 completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 7,085 shares of the company's stock, valued at $628,864.60. The trade was a 24.99 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.09% of the stock is owned by insiders.
Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Performance
MRK traded down $2.69 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $87.08. The company's stock had a trading volume of 13,919,428 shares, compared to its average volume of 11,082,011. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.79, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a current ratio of 1.36. The company's fifty day moving average price is $91.75 and its 200-day moving average price is $99.82. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 52-week low of $81.04 and a 52-week high of $134.63. The company has a market capitalization of $219.95 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.94, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.77 and a beta of 0.35.
Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly 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). The business had revenue of $15.62 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations 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 quarter last year, the firm earned $0.03 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts forecast that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.
Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend
The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 7th. Investors of record on Monday, March 17th will be paid a $0.81 dividend. This represents a $3.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.72%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 17th. Merck & Co., Inc.'s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 48.14%.
Merck & Co., Inc. announced that its board has approved a stock repurchase plan on Tuesday, January 28th that allows the company to repurchase $10.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the company to purchase up to 4.1% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are usually a sign that the company's board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.
About Merck & Co., Inc.
(
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.
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