Erste Asset Management GmbH Sells 6,658 Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK)

Erste Asset Management GmbH lessened its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 2.7% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 243,774 shares of the company's stock after selling 6,658 shares during the period. Erste Asset Management GmbH's holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $24,280,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Tredje AP fonden raised its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 10.7% during the fourth quarter. Tredje AP fonden now owns 803,829 shares of the company's stock worth $79,965,000 after buying an additional 77,537 shares during the last quarter. ANTIPODES PARTNERS Ltd grew its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 17.3% in the fourth quarter. ANTIPODES PARTNERS Ltd now owns 1,848,631 shares of the company's stock worth $183,917,000 after purchasing an additional 272,815 shares during the period. Mascoma Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 43.4% in the fourth quarter. Mascoma Wealth Management LLC now owns 787 shares of the company's stock worth $78,000 after purchasing an additional 238 shares during the period. Rakuten Securities Inc. grew its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 272.7% in the fourth quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 3,440 shares of the company's stock worth $342,000 after purchasing an additional 2,517 shares during the period. Finally, Avantax Advisory Services Inc. grew its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.0% in the fourth quarter. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. now owns 230,718 shares of the company's stock worth $22,952,000 after purchasing an additional 4,518 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 76.07% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Merck & Co., Inc. news, insider Cristal N. Downing sold 2,361 shares of Merck & Co., Inc. stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $88.76, for a total value of $209,562.36. Following the sale, the insider now owns 7,085 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $628,864.60. The trade was a 24.99 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Inge G. Thulin acquired 2,833 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 6th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $88.25 per share, for a total transaction of $250,012.25. Following the transaction, the director now owns 2,933 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $258,837.25. This trade represents a 2,833.00 % increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders own 0.09% of the company's stock.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Down 1.4 %

Merck & Co., Inc. stock opened at $93.44 on Thursday. Merck & Co., Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $81.04 and a fifty-two week high of $134.63. The stock has a market cap of $236.04 billion, a PE ratio of 13.88, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.77 and a beta of 0.35. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $93.75 and its 200 day simple moving average is $102.19. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.79, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a current ratio of 1.36.

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Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last released 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 firm had revenue of $15.62 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $15.51 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 45.35% and a net margin of 26.67%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 6.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.03 earnings per share. Research analysts predict that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. announced that its board has initiated a stock repurchase plan on Tuesday, January 28th that allows the company to repurchase $10.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the company to buy up to 4.1% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are typically an indication that the company's leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 7th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 17th will be given a $0.81 dividend. This represents a $3.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.47%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 17th. Merck & Co., Inc.'s dividend payout ratio is 48.14%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have commented on the stock. Hsbc Global Res upgraded shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, December 4th. BMO Capital Markets reduced their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $105.00 to $96.00 and set a "market perform" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $113.00 to $106.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. Citigroup reduced their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $125.00 to $115.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. Finally, Truist Financial reiterated a "hold" rating and set a $110.00 price objective (down from $130.00) on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and three have given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $117.12.

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.

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