Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) Stake Increased by Atomi Financial Group Inc.

Atomi Financial Group Inc. lifted its position in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 11.3% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 34,517 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 3,499 shares during the period. Atomi Financial Group Inc.'s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $3,434,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. 1832 Asset Management L.P. lifted its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.5% in the second quarter. 1832 Asset Management L.P. now owns 51,369 shares of the company's stock valued at $6,359,000 after acquiring an additional 1,247 shares in the last quarter. Certified Advisory Corp boosted its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 9.9% during the second quarter. Certified Advisory Corp now owns 6,146 shares of the company's stock worth $761,000 after buying an additional 554 shares during the period. Resources Management Corp CT ADV boosted its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 3.5% during the 2nd quarter. Resources Management Corp CT ADV now owns 26,897 shares of the company's stock worth $3,330,000 after purchasing an additional 920 shares during the period. Marshall Wace LLP boosted its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 32.5% during the second quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 2,584,183 shares of the company's stock valued at $319,922,000 after buying an additional 634,194 shares during the period. Finally, Mill Creek Capital Advisors LLC grew its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.3% in the 2nd quarter. Mill Creek Capital Advisors LLC now owns 10,767 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,333,000 after acquiring an additional 242 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 76.07% of the company's stock.

Merck & Co., Inc. Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:MRK traded down $0.52 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $95.72. 13,069,582 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 10,479,509. 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 has a fifty day simple moving average of $99.91 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $109.20. The company has a market cap of $242.13 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.07, a PEG ratio of 1.15 and a beta of 0.39. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 1 year low of $94.48 and a 1 year high of $134.63.

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

Merck & Co., Inc. Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 8th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 16th were issued a dividend of $0.81 per share. This is a boost from Merck & Co., Inc.'s previous quarterly dividend of $0.77. This represents a $3.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.38%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 16th. Merck & Co., Inc.'s payout ratio is currently 67.92%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have commented on the stock. Daiwa America downgraded shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, November 11th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $125.00 to $110.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Friday, November 1st. Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $123.00 to $113.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday. Sanford C. Bernstein initiated coverage on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. They issued a "market perform" rating and a $115.00 target price for the company. Finally, Truist Financial reissued a "hold" rating and issued a $110.00 price objective (down from $130.00) on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and four have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $123.00.

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.