Sonora Investment Management Group LLC Grows Stake in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK)

Sonora Investment Management Group LLC increased its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 1.9% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 174,710 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 3,182 shares during the quarter. Merck & Co., Inc. makes up approximately 1.3% of Sonora Investment Management Group LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 22nd biggest position. Sonora Investment Management Group LLC's holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $17,380,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Algert Global LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the 2nd quarter valued at about $325,000. Quarry LP acquired a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. during the second quarter worth approximately $42,000. Creekside Partners purchased a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. in the second quarter valued at approximately $254,000. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund boosted its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 85.9% in the second quarter. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund now owns 1,058,000 shares of the company's stock valued at $130,980,000 after acquiring an additional 489,000 shares during the period. Finally, Centaurus Financial Inc. grew its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 1.4% during the second quarter. Centaurus Financial Inc. now owns 12,878 shares of the company's stock worth $1,594,000 after acquiring an additional 178 shares during the last quarter. 76.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Up 0.6 %

Shares of NYSE MRK opened at $98.91 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.79, a current ratio of 1.36 and a quick ratio of 1.15. The firm's 50-day moving average is $99.86 and its two-hundred day moving average is $108.06. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 12-month low of $94.48 and a 12-month high of $134.63. The company has a market capitalization of $250.21 billion, a PE ratio of 20.74, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.18 and a beta of 0.39.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 31st. The company reported $1.57 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.50 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $16.66 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $16.47 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 19.23% and a return on equity of 36.42%. The company's revenue was up 4.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $2.13 earnings per share. Equities analysts anticipate that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 7.64 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 7th. Stockholders 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 dividend yield of 3.28%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 17th. Merck & Co., Inc.'s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 67.92%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MRK has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Bank of America reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $121.00 price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. Guggenheim decreased their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $137.00 to $130.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, November 6th. Daiwa Capital Markets cut Merck & Co., Inc. from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating in a research report on Monday, November 11th. BMO Capital Markets cut Merck & Co., Inc. from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating and cut their price target for the stock from $136.00 to $105.00 in a research note on Friday, December 20th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated an "overweight" rating and set a $155.00 target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Thursday, October 3rd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and four have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Merck & Co., Inc. currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $122.67.

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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