Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) Shares Sold by Alpha DNA Investment Management LLC

Alpha DNA Investment Management LLC lowered its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 37.0% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 11,222 shares of the company's stock after selling 6,598 shares during the quarter. Alpha DNA Investment Management LLC's holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $1,116,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the business. Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 8.9% during the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 6,355,950 shares of the company's stock valued at $721,782,000 after purchasing an additional 518,270 shares in the last quarter. McIlrath & Eck LLC grew its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 3.3% during the 3rd quarter. McIlrath & Eck LLC now owns 5,067 shares of the company's stock worth $575,000 after acquiring an additional 162 shares in the last quarter. Diamant Asset Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 4.9% in the 3rd quarter. Diamant Asset Management Inc. now owns 22,812 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,591,000 after purchasing an additional 1,067 shares in the last quarter. Wealthquest Corp boosted its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 1.7% during the third quarter. Wealthquest Corp now owns 16,457 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,888,000 after purchasing an additional 278 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Te Ahumairangi Investment Management Ltd raised its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 15.4% in the third quarter. Te Ahumairangi Investment Management Ltd now owns 111,057 shares of the company's stock worth $12,540,000 after buying an additional 14,780 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.07% of the company's stock.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Performance

MRK stock traded up $0.62 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $78.47. 2,277,230 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 11,686,045. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 1-year low of $75.93 and a 1-year 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. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $87.31 and its 200-day simple moving average is $95.84. The firm has a market cap of $197.88 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.66, a PEG ratio of 0.77 and a beta of 0.40.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The company reported $1.72 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate 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%. Merck & Co., Inc.'s revenue for the quarter was up 6.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.03 EPS. On average, analysts expect that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 earnings per share for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, April 7th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 17th were issued a dividend of $0.81 per share. This represents a $3.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.13%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 17th. Merck & Co., Inc.'s payout ratio is 48.14%.

Merck & Co., Inc. declared that its board has authorized a share buyback program 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 shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are generally a sign that the company's board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have recently commented on MRK. TD Cowen lowered Merck & Co., Inc. from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and reduced their price target for the stock from $121.00 to $100.00 in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Truist Financial reaffirmed a "hold" rating and set a $110.00 price target (down from $130.00) on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. Guggenheim restated a "buy" rating and set a $115.00 target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Thursday, April 17th. Leerink Partners decreased their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $136.00 to $119.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, January 13th. Finally, Bank of America cut their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $118.00 to $112.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. Twelve equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and three have given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $111.13.

Insider Transactions at Merck & Co., Inc.

In other Merck & Co., Inc. news, Director Inge G. Thulin bought 2,833 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 6th. The shares were bought 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 in the company, valued at $258,837.25. This trade represents a 2,833.00 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Cristal N. Downing sold 2,361 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $88.76, for a total transaction of $209,562.36. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 7,085 shares of the company's stock, valued at $628,864.60. This trade represents a 24.99 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.09% of the company's stock.

About Merck & Co., Inc.

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.