Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) Shares Sold by Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC

Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC trimmed its position in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 17.1% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 29,024 shares of the company's stock after selling 5,973 shares during the quarter. Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC's holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $2,887,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in MRK. Darwin Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the 3rd quarter worth $32,000. AM Squared Ltd purchased a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. in the third quarter valued at $34,000. Safe Harbor Fiduciary LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the third quarter worth about $34,000. Peterson Financial Group Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $36,000. Finally, Quarry LP purchased a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. in the second quarter valued at $42,000. Institutional investors own 76.07% of the company's stock.

Merck & Co., Inc. Trading Down 0.2 %

Shares of MRK stock traded down $0.15 during trading on Friday, hitting $98.80. 11,417,007 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 10,987,177. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 52-week low of $94.48 and a 52-week high of $134.63. The firm has a market capitalization of $249.93 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.71, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.18 and a beta of 0.39. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $99.83 and its 200-day moving average price is $108.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.79, a current ratio of 1.36 and a quick ratio of 1.15.

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

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

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

The business 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. This represents a $3.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.28%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 17th. Merck & Co., Inc.'s dividend payout ratio is presently 67.92%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have commented on MRK shares. Citigroup dropped their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $130.00 to $125.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday. Bank of America reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $121.00 price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. Wolfe Research began coverage on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Friday, November 15th. They set a "peer perform" rating on the stock. HSBC raised shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $130.00 target price for the company in a research note on Wednesday, December 4th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and issued a $155.00 price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Thursday, October 3rd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and four have given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Merck & Co., Inc. has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price 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.