Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) Shares Sold by Altfest L J & Co. Inc.

Altfest L J & Co. Inc. cut its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK – Free Report) by 2.2% in the second quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 19,208 shares of the company’s stock after selling 424 shares during the quarter. Altfest L J & Co. Inc.’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $2,216,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

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 approximately $26,000. Your Advocates Ltd. LLP acquired a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. during the 2nd quarter worth $28,000. Level Financial Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 45.5% during the 2nd quarter. Level Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 320 shares of the company’s stock worth $37,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during 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. in the second quarter worth about $40,000. 74.59% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have weighed in on MRK shares. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $115.00 to $118.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, October 27th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft assumed coverage on Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Thursday. They issued a “buy” rating and a $115.00 price target for the company. BMO Capital Markets raised Merck & Co., Inc. from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $132.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Friday, October 27th. Cantor Fitzgerald restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $135.00 target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Monday, October 23rd. Finally, UBS Group upgraded Merck & Co., Inc. from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $117.00 to $122.00 in a report on Friday, October 20th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seventeen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $125.14.

View Our Latest Stock Report on MRK

Merck & Co., Inc. Trading Down 0.7 %

Shares of NYSE MRK traded down $0.76 during trading on Monday, reaching $100.63. The stock had a trading volume of 796,105 shares, compared to its average volume of 7,448,042. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.82, a quick ratio of 1.12 and a current ratio of 1.38. The company has a market cap of $255.00 billion, a P/E ratio of 56.17, a PEG ratio of 8.76 and a beta of 0.37. Merck & Co., Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $96.36 and a fifty-two week high of $119.65. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $104.72 and its 200-day moving average price is $108.73.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK – Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, October 26th. The company reported $2.13 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.94 by $0.19. The company had revenue of $16 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $15.30 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 18.26% and a net margin of 7.77%. Merck & Co., Inc.’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.85 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 1.37 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Merck & Co., Inc.

In other news, EVP Richard R. Deluca sold 43,823 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $105.03, for a total value of $4,602,729.69. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 111,764 shares in the company, valued at $11,738,572.92. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In related news, EVP Richard R. Deluca sold 43,823 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $105.03, for a total value of $4,602,729.69. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 111,764 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $11,738,572.92. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Johannes Jacobus Oosthuizen sold 2,081 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, November 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $102.38, for a total transaction of $213,052.78. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 18,191 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,862,394.58. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.20% of the company’s stock.

About Merck & Co., Inc.

(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.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Merck & Co., Inc. Trading Down 0.7 %

Insider Activity at Merck & Co., Inc.

About Merck & Co., Inc.

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