Flossbach Von Storch AG acquired a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK – Free Report) during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor acquired 1,750 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $202,000.
Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Marquette Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the second quarter worth about $26,000. Your Advocates Ltd. LLP purchased a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the second quarter worth about $28,000. Level Financial Advisors Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 45.5% during the second quarter. Level Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 320 shares of the company’s stock worth $37,000 after buying an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Front Row Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 36.0% during the first quarter. Front Row Advisors LLC now owns 363 shares of the company’s stock worth $39,000 after buying an additional 96 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Activest Wealth Management purchased a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the 2nd quarter worth $40,000. 74.59% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.
Merck & Co., Inc. Price Performance
Shares of MRK stock opened at $102.67 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $260.53 billion, a PE ratio of 84.16, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.00 and a beta of 0.34. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $106.54 and a 200-day simple moving average of $109.90. The company has a current ratio of 1.28, a quick ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.88. Merck & Co., Inc. has a twelve month low of $92.64 and a twelve month high of $119.65.
Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK – Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, August 1st. The company reported ($2.06) earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($2.18) by $0.12. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 5.34% and a return on equity of 16.29%. The business had revenue of $15.04 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $14.44 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.87 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 3.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts anticipate that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 3.03 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.
Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement
The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, October 6th. Stockholders of record on Friday, September 15th were given a dividend of $0.73 per share. This represents a $2.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.84%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, September 14th. Merck & Co., Inc.’s payout ratio is 239.34%.
Insider Activity
In other news, EVP Steven Mizell sold 4,250 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $109.01, for a total transaction of $463,292.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 22,935 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,500,144.35. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Company insiders own 0.20% of the company’s stock.
Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth
A number of research analysts have weighed in on the company. Cantor Fitzgerald reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $135.00 price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Monday, October 2nd. Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $116.00 to $115.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, October 11th. UBS Group upgraded Merck & Co., Inc. from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price target for the company from $117.00 to $122.00 in a report on Friday. BMO Capital Markets increased their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $102.00 to $113.00 in a research note on Tuesday, July 18th. Finally, TheStreet downgraded shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from an “a-” rating to a “c+” rating in a research note on Friday, September 1st. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $124.55.
Get Our Latest Report on MRK
Merck & Co., Inc. Profile
(Free Report)
Merck & Co, Inc operates as a healthcare company worldwide. It operates through two segments, Pharmaceutical and Animal Health. The Pharmaceutical segment offers human health pharmaceutical products in the areas of oncology, hospital acute care, immunology, neuroscience, virology, cardiovascular, and diabetes, as well as vaccine products, such as preventive pediatric, adolescent, and adult vaccines.
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