MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB Cuts Stock Position in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK)

MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB reduced its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 8.7% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 125,253 shares of the company's stock after selling 11,942 shares during the period. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB's holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $12,460,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Darwin Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. during the third quarter worth approximately $32,000. AM Squared Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $34,000. Safe Harbor Fiduciary LLC purchased a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Peterson Financial Group Inc. acquired a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. during the third quarter worth $36,000. Finally, Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. acquired a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the 2nd quarter worth about $39,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.07% of the company's stock.

Merck & Co., Inc. Trading Down 1.8 %

Merck & Co., Inc. stock traded down $1.74 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $96.18. The company's stock had a trading volume of 17,752,668 shares, compared to its average volume of 10,263,390. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 1 year low of $94.48 and a 1 year high of $134.63. 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 capitalization of $243.30 billion, a PE ratio of 20.16, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.15 and a beta of 0.39. The stock's fifty day moving average is $99.95 and its two-hundred day moving average is $109.42.

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 analysts' consensus estimates of $1.50 by $0.07. The firm had revenue of $16.66 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $16.47 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 36.42% and a net margin of 19.23%. The company's quarterly revenue was up 4.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $2.13 EPS. On average, analysts anticipate that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 7.7 EPS for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared 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 3.37%. This is an increase 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 67.92%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have commented on MRK. 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 research note on Wednesday, January 8th. UBS Group dropped their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $125.00 to $120.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. BMO Capital Markets lowered Merck & Co., Inc. from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating and decreased their price objective for the company from $136.00 to $105.00 in a report on Friday, December 20th. Citigroup lowered their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $140.00 to $130.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reduced their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $123.00 to $113.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday. 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 company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $123.00.

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.