Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) Stock Position Decreased by Bedrijfstakpensioenfonds Voor DE Media PNO

Bedrijfstakpensioenfonds Voor DE Media PNO reduced its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 11.7% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 98,000 shares of the company's stock after selling 13,000 shares during the period. Merck & Co., Inc. accounts for about 1.2% of Bedrijfstakpensioenfonds Voor DE Media PNO's portfolio, making the stock its 29th largest holding. Bedrijfstakpensioenfonds Voor DE Media PNO's holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $9,415,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Darwin Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. during the third quarter worth $32,000. AM Squared Ltd purchased a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. in the third quarter valued at $34,000. Safe Harbor Fiduciary LLC purchased a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. in the third quarter valued at $34,000. Peterson Financial Group Inc. purchased a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. in the third quarter valued at $36,000. Finally, Abich Financial Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 121.8% in the second quarter. Abich Financial Wealth Management LLC now owns 326 shares of the company's stock valued at $40,000 after buying an additional 179 shares during the last quarter. 76.07% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. BMO Capital Markets downgraded shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating and decreased their target price for the stock from $136.00 to $105.00 in a research note on Friday, December 20th. Bank of America reissued a "buy" rating and set a $121.00 price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. Daiwa Capital Markets downgraded shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating in a report on Monday, November 11th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $125.00 to $110.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, November 1st. Finally, HSBC upgraded shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $130.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, December 4th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and four have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $123.00.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Down 0.5 %

Merck & Co., Inc. stock traded down $0.52 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $95.72. 13,069,582 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 10,479,509. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 1 year low of $94.48 and a 1 year high of $134.63. The firm has a market cap of $242.13 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.07, a P/E/G ratio of 1.15 and a beta of 0.39. 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 company has a 50 day moving average price of $99.91 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $109.20.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results 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. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 19.23% and a return on equity of 36.42%. The firm had revenue of $16.66 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $16.47 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $2.13 EPS. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 4.4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 7.7 earnings per share 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 paid a $0.81 dividend. This represents a $3.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.38%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 16th. This is a positive change from Merck & Co., Inc.'s previous quarterly dividend of $0.77. Merck & Co., Inc.'s dividend payout ratio is 67.92%.

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.