Jmac Enterprises LLC grew its position in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK – Get Rating) by 6.2% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 22,538 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,323 shares during the quarter. Jmac Enterprises LLC’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $2,501,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.
A number of other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of MRK. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 1.4% in the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 224,134,448 shares of the company’s stock worth $19,302,459,000 after buying an additional 3,081,402 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 3.7% in the 1st quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 30,079,662 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,468,037,000 after buying an additional 1,077,042 shares in the last quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD raised its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 14.2% in the 2nd quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 17,026,950 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,552,347,000 after buying an additional 2,111,477 shares in the last quarter. UBS Asset Management Americas Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.2% in the 3rd quarter. UBS Asset Management Americas Inc. now owns 12,162,809 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,047,461,000 after buying an additional 265,432 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership raised its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 17.3% in the 1st quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 9,760,711 shares of the company’s stock worth $800,866,000 after buying an additional 1,441,584 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 72.89% of the company’s stock.
Insider Buying and Selling at Merck & Co., Inc.
In other news, EVP Steven Mizell sold 4,436 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $104.25, for a total value of $462,453.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 39,900 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,159,575. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other news, insider Sanat Chattopadhyay sold 83,994 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, January 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $112.29, for a total value of $9,431,686.26. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 29,500 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,312,555. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Steven Mizell sold 4,436 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $104.25, for a total value of $462,453.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 39,900 shares in the company, valued at $4,159,575. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 100,245 shares of company stock worth $11,168,256. Insiders own 0.29% of the company’s stock.
Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Up 0.4 %
Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK – Get Rating) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 2nd. The company reported $1.62 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.56 by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $13.83 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $13.66 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 43.47% and a net margin of 24.49%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 2.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.80 EPS. On average, analysts predict that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 6.87 earnings per share for the current year.
Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement
The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 10th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, March 15th will be given a $0.73 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 14th. This represents a $2.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.74%. Merck & Co., Inc.’s payout ratio is 51.14%.
Wall Street Analyst Weigh In
MRK has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Morgan Stanley dropped their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $100.00 to $99.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 3rd. Mizuho reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $130.00 target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Friday, March 17th. Guggenheim increased their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $116.00 to $123.00 in a report on Thursday, March 9th. Credit Suisse Group raised their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $125.00 to $126.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 7th. Finally, Wolfe Research raised Merck & Co., Inc. from a “peer perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $127.00 price target for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 22nd. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Merck & Co., Inc. currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $119.35.
About Merck & Co., Inc.
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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