Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) Shares Purchased by Great Lakes Advisors LLC

Great Lakes Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 0.7% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 1,141,311 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 7,549 shares during the period. Merck & Co., Inc. makes up approximately 1.0% of Great Lakes Advisors LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 26th biggest holding. Great Lakes Advisors LLC's holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $113,538,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MRK. Hopwood Financial Services Inc. purchased a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. in the 4th quarter valued at about $106,000. Farther Finance Advisors LLC boosted its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.8% in the 4th quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 24,975 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,485,000 after buying an additional 688 shares during the period. Parkworth Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the 4th quarter worth $62,000. Knuff & Co LLC lifted its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.5% in the fourth quarter. Knuff & Co LLC now owns 12,423 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,236,000 after acquiring an additional 303 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC lifted its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 10.0% in the fourth quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 361,433 shares of the company's stock valued at $35,955,000 after acquiring an additional 32,726 shares during the last quarter. 76.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Transactions at Merck & Co., Inc.

In other news, Director Inge G. Thulin acquired 2,833 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 6th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $88.25 per share, with a total value 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. This trade represents a 2,833.00 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Cristal N. Downing sold 2,361 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $88.76, for a total transaction of $209,562.36. Following the sale, the insider now directly 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. Insiders own 0.09% of the company's stock.

Merck & Co., Inc. Price Performance

MRK stock opened at $94.65 on Wednesday. Merck & Co., Inc. has a one year low of $81.04 and a one year high of $134.63. The stock has a market cap of $239.09 billion, a PE ratio of 14.06, a P/E/G ratio of 0.77 and a beta of 0.35. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $93.87 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $102.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.79, a current ratio of 1.36 and a quick ratio of 1.15.

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Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The company reported $1.72 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.85 by ($0.13). Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 26.67% and a return on equity of 45.35%. The firm had revenue of $15.62 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $15.51 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.03 earnings per share. The company's quarterly revenue was up 6.8% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts predict that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. declared that its board has approved a stock repurchase program on Tuesday, January 28th that authorizes the company to buyback $10.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the company to buy up to 4.1% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are often an indication that the company's leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 7th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 17th will be issued a dividend of $0.81 per share. This represents a $3.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.42%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 17th. Merck & Co., Inc.'s dividend payout ratio is currently 48.14%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have weighed in on MRK shares. BMO Capital Markets lowered their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $105.00 to $96.00 and set a "market perform" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, February 5th. Morgan Stanley reduced their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $113.00 to $106.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and cut their price target for the company from $128.00 to $105.00 in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. Bank of America reduced their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $118.00 to $112.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. Finally, Leerink Partners lowered their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $136.00 to $119.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, January 13th. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and three have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $117.12.

Merck & Co., Inc. 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.

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