Paradigm Asset Management Co. LLC Boosts Stock Position in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK)

Paradigm Asset Management Co. LLC boosted its position in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 19.5% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 34,288 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 5,600 shares during the period. Merck & Co., Inc. makes up approximately 0.9% of Paradigm Asset Management Co. LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 14th biggest position. Paradigm Asset Management Co. LLC's holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $3,411,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in MRK. AMF Tjanstepension AB boosted its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 114.2% during the 3rd quarter. AMF Tjanstepension AB now owns 802,384 shares of the company's stock valued at $91,205,000 after purchasing an additional 427,831 shares during the last quarter. Swedbank AB boosted its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 38.6% during the 3rd quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 7,530,111 shares of the company's stock valued at $855,119,000 after purchasing an additional 2,095,694 shares during the last quarter. Stanley Laman Group Ltd. boosted its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 19.4% in the 3rd quarter. Stanley Laman Group Ltd. now owns 6,024 shares of the company's stock worth $684,000 after buying an additional 979 shares during the last quarter. Wallington Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 40.4% in the 3rd quarter. Wallington Asset Management LLC now owns 3,449 shares of the company's stock worth $392,000 after buying an additional 993 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Monte Financial Group LLC boosted its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 1.6% in the 3rd quarter. Monte Financial Group LLC now owns 48,026 shares of the company's stock worth $5,454,000 after buying an additional 760 shares during the last quarter. 76.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Merck & Co., Inc. Price Performance

MRK traded up $1.72 during trading on Friday, reaching $89.40. The stock had a trading volume of 15,641,321 shares, compared to its average volume of 17,774,290. The stock has a market cap of $226.14 billion, a PE ratio of 13.28, a PEG ratio of 0.77 and a beta of 0.38. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.79, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a current ratio of 1.36. Merck & Co., Inc. has a one year low of $81.04 and a one year high of $134.63. The business has a 50-day moving average of $95.46 and a 200-day moving average of $104.21.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last released its 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 during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $15.51 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.03 EPS. The firm's revenue was up 6.8% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 7th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 17th will be given a dividend of $0.81 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 17th. This represents a $3.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.62%. Merck & Co., Inc.'s payout ratio is 48.14%.

Merck & Co., Inc. announced that its board has authorized a share buyback program on Tuesday, January 28th that permits the company to buyback $10.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization permits the company to purchase up to 4.1% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are typically an indication that the company's management believes its stock is undervalued.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on MRK shares. Leerink Partners cut their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $136.00 to $119.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, January 13th. TD Cowen downgraded Merck & Co., Inc. from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and cut their target price for the stock from $121.00 to $100.00 in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Daiwa America downgraded Merck & Co., Inc. from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, November 11th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $125.00 to $110.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, November 1st. Finally, Citigroup cut their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $125.00 to $115.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have issued a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and three have issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $116.39.

Insider Buying and Selling 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 dated Thursday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $88.76, for a total transaction of $209,562.36. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 7,085 shares in the company, valued at $628,864.60. This represents a 24.99 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Inge G. Thulin purchased 2,833 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on 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 completion of the transaction, the director now owns 2,933 shares of the company's stock, 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. Company insiders own 0.09% of the company's stock.

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.