R.H. Dinel Investment Counsel Inc. Lowers Stock Position in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK)

R.H. Dinel Investment Counsel Inc. lowered its position in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 10.4% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 47,142 shares of the company's stock after selling 5,460 shares during the quarter. Merck & Co., Inc. comprises 3.1% of R.H. Dinel Investment Counsel Inc.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 12th largest holding. R.H. Dinel Investment Counsel Inc.'s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $4,690,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Darwin Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the third quarter worth about $32,000. AM Squared Ltd bought a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $34,000. Safe Harbor Fiduciary LLC bought a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $34,000. Peterson Financial Group Inc. bought a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $36,000. Finally, Abich Financial Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 121.8% in the 2nd quarter. Abich Financial Wealth Management LLC now owns 326 shares of the company's stock worth $40,000 after buying an additional 179 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.07% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts recently weighed in 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. Leerink Partners lowered their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $136.00 to $119.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, January 13th. Daiwa America downgraded Merck & Co., Inc. from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, November 11th. Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated an "overweight" rating and issued a $155.00 price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Thursday, October 3rd. Finally, Guggenheim lowered their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $137.00 to $130.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, November 6th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and four have issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $123.00.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Up 0.9 %

Shares of NYSE MRK traded up $0.89 during trading on Thursday, reaching $96.57. The company had a trading volume of 11,512,593 shares, compared to its average volume of 10,553,397. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 12-month low of $94.48 and a 12-month high of $134.63. The stock has a market cap of $244.28 billion, a PE ratio of 20.24, a P/E/G ratio of 1.13 and a beta of 0.39. The business's 50-day moving average is $99.85 and its 200 day moving average is $109.11. The company has a quick ratio of 1.15, a current ratio of 1.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.79.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The company reported $1.57 EPS for the quarter, topping 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 firm had revenue of $16.66 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $16.47 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $2.13 earnings per share. The company's quarterly revenue was up 4.4% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 7.7 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 8th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 16th were issued a dividend of $0.81 per share. This is an increase from Merck & Co., Inc.'s previous quarterly dividend of $0.77. This represents a $3.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.36%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 16th. Merck & Co., Inc.'s dividend payout ratio is presently 67.92%.

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.