Rathbones Group PLC increased its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 4.4% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 1,262,015 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 53,074 shares during the period. Rathbones Group PLC's holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $125,545,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.
Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Twin Capital Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.4% during the fourth quarter. Twin Capital Management Inc. now owns 61,464 shares of the company's stock worth $6,114,000 after purchasing an additional 266 shares in the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. boosted its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 22.6% during the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 15,452,240 shares of the company's stock worth $1,537,189,000 after acquiring an additional 2,847,934 shares in the last quarter. ADAR1 Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 114.0% in the 4th quarter. ADAR1 Capital Management LLC now owns 2,440 shares of the company's stock valued at $243,000 after acquiring an additional 1,300 shares during the last quarter. Certior Financial Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the 4th quarter worth about $598,000. Finally, Sierra Summit Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 32.1% during the fourth quarter. Sierra Summit Advisors LLC now owns 9,171 shares of the company's stock worth $912,000 after purchasing an additional 2,231 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.07% of the company's stock.
Analysts Set New Price Targets
A number of analysts have weighed in on MRK shares. Leerink Partners cut their price objective 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. UBS Group dropped their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $125.00 to $120.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. BMO Capital Markets reduced their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $105.00 to $96.00 and set a "market perform" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, February 5th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered Merck & Co., Inc. from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and dropped their price objective for the stock from $128.00 to $105.00 in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. Finally, Citigroup reduced their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $125.00 to $115.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. Eleven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and three have issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $115.50.
Check Out Our Latest Analysis on Merck & Co., Inc.
Insider Buying and Selling
In related news, 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 value of $209,562.36. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 7,085 shares of the company's stock, valued at $628,864.60. This trade represents a 24.99 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Inge G. Thulin bought 2,833 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 6th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $88.25 per share, for a total transaction of $250,012.25. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 2,933 shares of the company's stock, valued at $258,837.25. This represents a 2,833.00 % increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 0.09% of the stock is owned by insiders.
Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Performance
Merck & Co., Inc. stock traded up $1.55 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $79.10. 8,841,204 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 11,463,338. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 52-week low of $75.96 and a 52-week high of $134.63. The stock has a market cap of $199.82 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.70, 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 quick ratio of 1.15 and a current ratio of 1.36. The firm's 50 day moving average is $88.67 and its 200 day moving average is $97.64.
Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The company reported $1.72 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate 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 for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $15.51 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.03 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 6.8% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts predict that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 EPS for the current fiscal year.
Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend
The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, April 7th. Investors of record on Monday, March 17th were paid a $0.81 dividend. This represents a $3.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.10%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 17th. Merck & Co., Inc.'s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 48.14%.
Merck & Co., Inc. announced that its board has approved a stock repurchase program on Tuesday, January 28th that allows the company to repurchase $10.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the company to repurchase up to 4.1% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are generally a sign that the company's leadership believes its shares are undervalued.
Merck & Co., Inc. Company Profile
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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.
Further Reading
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