Gabelli Funds LLC raised its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 5.7% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 354,205 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 19,084 shares during the quarter. Gabelli Funds LLC's holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $35,236,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.
Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Montag & Caldwell LLC acquired a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. in the 4th quarter valued at $105,000. M Holdings Securities Inc. grew its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 42.5% in the fourth quarter. M Holdings Securities Inc. now owns 21,958 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,184,000 after acquiring an additional 6,550 shares in the last quarter. AGP Franklin LLC bought a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. during the fourth quarter worth about $327,000. Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board raised its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 114.6% in the 4th quarter. Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board now owns 26,693 shares of the company's stock worth $2,655,000 after purchasing an additional 14,253 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Guggenheim Capital LLC boosted its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 8.1% in the fourth quarter. Guggenheim Capital LLC now owns 387,396 shares of the company's stock valued at $38,538,000 after buying an additional 28,910 shares during the period. 76.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.
Merck & Co., Inc. Trading Up 1.9 %
Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. stock traded up $1.47 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $77.93. The company had a trading volume of 21,305,423 shares, compared to its average volume of 11,712,162. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $87.47 and a 200 day moving average price of $96.27. Merck & Co., Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $75.93 and a fifty-two week high of $134.63. The firm has a market cap of $196.53 billion, a PE ratio of 11.58, a P/E/G ratio of 0.77 and a beta of 0.40. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.79, a current ratio of 1.36 and a quick ratio of 1.15.
Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The company reported $1.72 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.85 by ($0.13). Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 45.35% and a net margin of 26.67%. The firm had revenue of $15.62 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $15.51 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.03 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 6.8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 earnings per share for the current year.
Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend
The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, April 7th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 17th were issued a dividend of $0.81 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 17th. This represents a $3.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.16%. Merck & Co., Inc.'s payout ratio is currently 48.14%.
Merck & Co., Inc. declared that its board has initiated a share buyback program on Tuesday, January 28th that authorizes the company to buyback $10.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the company to reacquire up to 4.1% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are often a sign that the company's board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.
Wall Street Analyst Weigh In
Several equities analysts have weighed in on MRK shares. TD Cowen cut Merck & Co., Inc. from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and dropped their price objective for the company from $121.00 to $100.00 in a report on Monday, February 10th. Morgan Stanley cut their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $113.00 to $106.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, February 5th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and decreased their target price for the company from $128.00 to $105.00 in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. Truist Financial reiterated a "hold" rating and set a $110.00 price target (down previously from $130.00) on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. Finally, Citigroup lowered their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $125.00 to $115.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, February 5th. Eleven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and three have issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Merck & Co., Inc. has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $115.50.
Check Out Our Latest Research Report on MRK
Insider Transactions at Merck & Co., Inc.
In related news, Director Inge G. Thulin acquired 2,833 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 6th. The stock was bought at an average price of $88.25 per share, for a total transaction of $250,012.25. Following the purchase, the director now directly owns 2,933 shares of the company's stock, valued at $258,837.25. The trade was a 2,833.00 % increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Cristal N. Downing sold 2,361 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $88.76, for a total transaction of $209,562.36. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 7,085 shares in the company, valued at $628,864.60. The trade was a 24.99 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.09% of the company's stock.
About Merck & Co., Inc.
(
Free Report)
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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