XML Financial LLC Raises Stake in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK)

XML Financial LLC boosted its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 8.8% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 68,080 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 5,506 shares during the quarter. XML Financial LLC's holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $6,773,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

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

Merck & Co., Inc. Trading Up 0.9 %

MRK traded up $0.89 on Thursday, hitting $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 1 year low of $94.48 and a 1 year high of $134.63. The firm has a market cap of $244.28 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.24, a PEG ratio of 1.13 and a beta of 0.39. The company's fifty day moving average price is $99.85 and its 200 day moving average price is $109.11. The company has a current ratio of 1.36, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.79.

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, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.50 by $0.07. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 19.23% and a return on equity of 36.42%. The firm had revenue of $16.66 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $16.47 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $2.13 EPS. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 4.4% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts expect that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 7.7 earnings per share for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 8th. Investors of record on Monday, December 16th were paid a dividend of $0.81 per share. This is a positive change from Merck & Co., Inc.'s previous quarterly dividend of $0.77. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 16th. This represents a $3.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.36%. Merck & Co., Inc.'s dividend payout ratio is presently 67.92%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MRK has been the subject of several recent research reports. UBS Group cut their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $125.00 to $120.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Leerink Partners lowered their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $136.00 to $119.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, January 13th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $125.00 to $110.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, November 1st. Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $123.00 to $113.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday. Finally, HSBC raised shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $130.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, December 4th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and four have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $123.00.

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.