Nemes Rush Group LLC Decreases Stake in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK)

Nemes Rush Group LLC reduced its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 3.9% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 125,839 shares of the company's stock after selling 5,152 shares during the period. Merck & Co., Inc. makes up approximately 1.5% of Nemes Rush Group LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 18th biggest position. Nemes Rush Group LLC's holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $12,518,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of MRK. StoneX Group Inc. raised its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 50.6% during the fourth quarter. StoneX Group Inc. now owns 59,045 shares of the company's stock worth $5,909,000 after acquiring an additional 19,831 shares in the last quarter. National Bank of Canada FI boosted its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 14.4% in the fourth quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 4,597,456 shares of the company's stock valued at $457,361,000 after buying an additional 577,363 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. grew its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 23.8% during the fourth quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 19,872,444 shares of the company's stock worth $1,976,911,000 after buying an additional 3,823,283 shares during the last quarter. Family Legacy Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 1.1% in the 4th quarter. Family Legacy Inc. now owns 34,827 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,477,000 after acquiring an additional 395 shares during the last quarter. Finally, B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG boosted its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 12.3% during the 4th quarter. B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG now owns 419,711 shares of the company's stock valued at $41,739,000 after acquiring an additional 46,078 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.07% of the company's stock.

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Insider Activity at Merck & Co., Inc.

In other Merck & Co., Inc. news, insider Cristal N. Downing sold 2,361 shares of the company's stock in a transaction 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 owns 7,085 shares in the company, valued at $628,864.60. This represents a 24.99 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Inge G. Thulin bought 2,833 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 6th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $88.25 per share, for a total transaction of $250,012.25. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now directly owns 2,933 shares in the company, valued at approximately $258,837.25. This trade represents a 2,833.00 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 0.09% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have commented on MRK shares. UBS Group dropped their target price 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. Guggenheim reduced their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $122.00 to $115.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. TD Securities lowered Merck & Co., Inc. from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and lowered their target price for the stock from $121.00 to $100.00 in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Citigroup reduced their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $125.00 to $115.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, February 5th. Finally, HSBC upgraded Merck & Co., Inc. from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $130.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Wednesday, December 4th. Eleven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and three have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Merck & Co., Inc. presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $117.12.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Up 0.0 %

NYSE MRK traded up $0.02 on Thursday, reaching $86.62. The company had a trading volume of 8,053,418 shares, compared to its average volume of 11,110,647. The company has a quick ratio of 1.15, a current ratio of 1.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.79. The stock has a market capitalization of $218.80 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.90, a P/E/G ratio of 0.77 and a beta of 0.40. The company's fifty day moving average is $91.39 and its 200 day moving average is $99.53. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 52-week low of $81.04 and a 52-week high of $134.63.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The company reported $1.72 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate 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 during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $15.51 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.03 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 6.8% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

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 given a dividend of $0.81 per share. This represents a $3.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.74%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 17th. Merck & Co., Inc.'s payout ratio is 48.14%.

About Merck & Co., Inc.

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.