Winslow Asset Management Inc. Sells 544 Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK)

Posted by Defense World Staff on Apr 2nd, 2023

Winslow Asset Management Inc. lowered its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK – Get Rating) by 0.6% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 95,578 shares of the company’s stock after selling 544 shares during the quarter. Merck & Co., Inc. comprises 2.5% of Winslow Asset Management Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 13th biggest holding. Winslow Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $10,604,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Retirement Financial Solutions LLC acquired a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the fourth quarter valued at about $26,000. Legend Financial Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the third quarter valued at about $27,000. EdgeRock Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the third quarter valued at about $30,000. Mach 1 Financial Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the third quarter valued at about $30,000. Finally, New Millennium Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the second quarter valued at about $35,000. Institutional investors own 72.89% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on MRK shares. StockNews.com started coverage on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Thursday, March 16th. They set a “buy” rating on the stock. Wolfe Research upgraded shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “peer perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $127.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 22nd. Mizuho reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $130.00 price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Friday, March 17th. Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Monday, March 6th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $125.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Guggenheim upped their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $116.00 to $123.00 in a report on Thursday, March 9th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $119.35.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Sanat Chattopadhyay sold 83,994 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, January 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $112.29, for a total transaction of $9,431,686.26. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 29,500 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,312,555. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In other news, EVP Steven Mizell sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $107.00, for a total transaction of $535,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 34,900 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,734,300. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Sanat Chattopadhyay sold 83,994 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, January 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $112.29, for a total transaction of $9,431,686.26. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 29,500 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,312,555. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 100,245 shares of company stock valued at $11,168,256 in the last three months. Company insiders own 0.29% of the company’s stock.

Merck & Co., Inc. Trading Up 0.4 %

NYSE:MRK opened at $106.39 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62, a quick ratio of 1.23 and a current ratio of 1.47. The firm has a market cap of $270.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.63, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 0.34. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 52 week low of $80.74 and a 52 week high of $115.49. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $107.13 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $103.56.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK – Get Rating) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 2nd. The company reported $1.62 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.56 by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $13.83 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $13.66 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 24.49% and a return on equity of 43.47%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.80 EPS. On average, equities analysts expect that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 6.87 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 10th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, March 15th will be given a dividend of $0.73 per share. This represents a $2.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.74%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 14th. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio is currently 51.14%.

Merck & Co., Inc. Company Profile

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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.