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Highland Capital Management LLC Buys 21,166 Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK)

Merck & Co., Inc. logo with Medical background

Highland Capital Management LLC grew its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 7.5% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 304,216 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 21,166 shares during the quarter. Merck & Co., Inc. accounts for 1.7% of Highland Capital Management LLC's holdings, making the stock its 11th biggest position. Highland Capital Management LLC's holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $30,263,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Darwin Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $32,000. AM Squared Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the third quarter worth $34,000. Safe Harbor Fiduciary LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the third quarter worth $34,000. Peterson Financial Group Inc. bought a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. in the 3rd quarter valued at $36,000. Finally, Quarry LP acquired a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. in the 2nd quarter worth $42,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.07% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have recently commented on the company. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $125.00 to $110.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, November 1st. Barclays lowered their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $142.00 to $140.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, October 7th. UBS Group reduced their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $125.00 to $120.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Wolfe Research assumed coverage on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Friday, November 15th. They issued a "peer perform" rating for the company. Finally, Hsbc Global Res raised shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 4th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and four have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $122.67.

View Our Latest Stock Report on MRK

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:MRK traded down $0.15 during trading on Friday, reaching $98.80. 11,417,007 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 9,908,158. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 12 month low of $94.48 and a 12 month high of $134.63. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $99.83 and a 200-day moving average price of $107.67. The company has a current ratio of 1.36, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.79. The firm has a market cap of $249.93 billion, a PE ratio of 20.71, a PEG ratio of 1.18 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 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.50 by $0.07. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 36.42% and a net margin of 19.23%. The firm had revenue of $16.66 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $16.47 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $2.13 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 4.4% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts expect that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 7.64 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 7th. Investors of record on Monday, March 17th will be paid a $0.81 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 17th. This represents a $3.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.28%. Merck & Co., Inc.'s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 67.92%.

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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Institutional Ownership by Quarter for Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK)

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