Brady Martz Wealth Solutions LLC Takes Position in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK)

Brady Martz Wealth Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund acquired 17,939 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,788,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Darwin Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $32,000. AM Squared Ltd acquired a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. in the third quarter valued at about $34,000. Safe Harbor Fiduciary LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the third quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. purchased a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. during the second quarter worth approximately $39,000. Finally, Peterson Financial Group Inc. purchased a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. during the 3rd quarter worth $36,000. Institutional investors own 76.07% of the company's stock.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Down 2.7 %

Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. stock traded down $2.70 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $98.00. The company's stock had a trading volume of 15,879,862 shares, compared to its average volume of 8,381,323. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $100.01 and a 200-day simple moving average of $109.61. The company has a quick ratio of 1.15, a current ratio of 1.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.79. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 1-year low of $94.48 and a 1-year high of $134.63. The firm has a market capitalization of $247.91 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.55, a PEG ratio of 1.17 and a beta of 0.39.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last issued 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. 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 during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $16.47 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $2.13 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 4.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 7.7 earnings per share for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed 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 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 payout ratio is presently 67.92%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on MRK shares. Daiwa America downgraded Merck & Co., Inc. from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, November 11th. Truist Financial restated a "hold" rating and issued a $110.00 price objective (down previously from $130.00) on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $125.00 to $110.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, November 1st. Sanford C. Bernstein started coverage on Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. They issued a "market perform" rating and a $115.00 price target for the company. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated an "overweight" rating and issued a $155.00 price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Thursday, October 3rd. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and four have given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, Merck & Co., Inc. currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $123.67.

Merck & Co., Inc. Company Profile

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.