Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) Holdings Decreased by Arkadios Wealth Advisors

Arkadios Wealth Advisors lessened its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 14.1% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 36,591 shares of the company's stock after selling 6,018 shares during the quarter. Arkadios Wealth Advisors' holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $3,640,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of MRK. Darwin Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the 3rd quarter worth about $32,000. AM Squared Ltd bought a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. in the third quarter worth about $34,000. Safe Harbor Fiduciary LLC acquired a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. in the third quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Peterson Financial Group Inc. bought a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the third quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Finally, Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. acquired a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $39,000. Institutional investors own 76.07% of the company's stock.

Merck & Co., Inc. Price Performance

NYSE:MRK traded down $2.70 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $98.00. 15,879,862 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 8,381,323. The company has a quick ratio of 1.15, a current ratio of 1.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.79. The company has a market capitalization of $247.91 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.55, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.17 and a beta of 0.39. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 12 month low of $94.48 and a 12 month high of $134.63. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $100.01 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $109.72.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 31st. The company reported $1.57 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.50 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $16.66 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $16.47 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 36.42% and a net margin of 19.23%. The company's revenue was up 4.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company posted $2.13 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 7.7 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 8th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 16th were issued a $0.81 dividend. This represents a $3.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.31%. This is a boost from Merck & Co., Inc.'s previous quarterly dividend of $0.77. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 16th. Merck & Co., Inc.'s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 67.92%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on MRK shares. HSBC upgraded Merck & Co., Inc. from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $130.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Wednesday, December 4th. Morgan Stanley cut their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $130.00 to $123.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, November 1st. Sanford C. Bernstein started coverage on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. They issued a "market perform" rating and a $115.00 target price for the company. UBS Group cut their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $125.00 to $120.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald reissued an "overweight" rating and issued a $155.00 price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Thursday, October 3rd. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and four have assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Merck & Co., Inc. has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $123.67.

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.