Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) Shares Down 0.1% - Here's Why

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) was down 0.1% on Tuesday . The company traded as low as $95.82 and last traded at $96.43. Approximately 2,005,359 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 77% from the average daily volume of 8,903,213 shares. The stock had previously closed at $96.56.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on MRK shares. Bank of America decreased their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $150.00 to $145.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, July 31st. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $125.00 to $110.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, November 1st. Truist Financial reduced their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $132.00 to $130.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, November 7th. BMO Capital Markets reduced their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $150.00 to $136.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, November 1st. Finally, Guggenheim reduced their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $137.00 to $130.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, November 6th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and three have issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $130.86.

Merck & Co., Inc. Trading Down 0.1 %

The company has a market capitalization of $243.91 billion, a PE ratio of 20.22, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.38 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. The company's fifty day moving average is $108.46 and its 200-day moving average is $118.60.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The company reported $1.57 earnings per share (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 business had revenue of $16.66 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $16.47 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $2.13 EPS. The business's revenue was up 4.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts anticipate that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 7.75 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 8th. Investors of record on Monday, December 16th will be paid a dividend of $0.81 per share. This represents a $3.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.36%. This is an increase from Merck & Co., Inc.'s previous quarterly dividend of $0.77. Merck & Co., Inc.'s payout ratio is 64.57%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Industrial Alliance Investment Management Inc. lifted its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.6% during the 1st quarter. Industrial Alliance Investment Management Inc. now owns 3,193 shares of the company's stock worth $421,000 after acquiring an additional 80 shares during the period. IRON Financial LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 4.6% in the 2nd quarter. IRON Financial LLC now owns 1,811 shares of the company's stock valued at $224,000 after buying an additional 80 shares during the period. Argent Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.8% in the 2nd quarter. Argent Capital Management LLC now owns 10,521 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,302,000 after purchasing an additional 81 shares in the last quarter. Forza Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.8% in the 2nd quarter. Forza Wealth Management LLC now owns 10,480 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,297,000 after purchasing an additional 82 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Vista Investment Partners LLC increased its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.0% in the 2nd quarter. Vista Investment Partners LLC now owns 4,164 shares of the company's stock valued at $516,000 after purchasing an additional 82 shares in the last quarter. 76.07% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Merck & Co., Inc.

Merck & Co, Inc operates as a healthcare company worldwide. It operates through two segments, Pharmaceutical and Animal Health. The Pharmaceutical segment offers human health pharmaceutical products in the areas of oncology, hospital acute care, immunology, neuroscience, virology, cardiovascular, and diabetes under the Keytruda, Bridion, Adempas, Lagevrio, Belsomra, Simponi, and Januvia brands, as well as vaccine products consisting of preventive pediatric, adolescent, and adult vaccines under the Gardasil/Gardasil 9, ProQuad, M-M-R II, Varivax, RotaTeq, Live Oral, Vaxneuvance, Pneumovax 23, and Vaqta names.

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