Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) Position Trimmed by Mitsubishi UFJ Morgan Stanley Securities Co. Ltd.

Posted by Defense World Staff on Apr 3rd, 2023

Mitsubishi UFJ Morgan Stanley Securities Co. Ltd. decreased its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK – Get Rating) by 38.0% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,240 shares of the company’s stock after selling 760 shares during the quarter. Merck & Co., Inc. comprises 1.2% of Mitsubishi UFJ Morgan Stanley Securities Co. Ltd.’s holdings, making the stock its 10th biggest position. Mitsubishi UFJ Morgan Stanley Securities Co. Ltd.’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $138,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in MRK. Retirement Financial Solutions LLC acquired a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. in the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Legend Financial Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the 3rd quarter valued at $27,000. EdgeRock Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the third quarter worth $30,000. Mach 1 Financial Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the third quarter worth $30,000. Finally, New Millennium Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the second quarter worth $35,000. 72.89% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Merck & Co., Inc. Price Performance

NYSE:MRK opened at $106.39 on Monday. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $107.13 and a two-hundred day moving average of $103.68. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 12 month low of $80.74 and a 12 month high of $115.49. The firm has a market cap of $270.08 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.63, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.93 and a beta of 0.34. The company has a current ratio of 1.47, a quick ratio of 1.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62.

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

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

The firm 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 $0.73 dividend. 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 (DPR) is 51.14%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MRK has been the topic of several analyst reports. Societe Generale downgraded Merck & Co., Inc. from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 28th. Morgan Stanley dropped their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $100.00 to $99.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 3rd. Credit Suisse Group boosted 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. Cantor Fitzgerald raised their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $120.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, December 19th. Finally, Truist Financial lifted their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $106.00 to $118.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 3rd. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $119.35.

Insider Activity

In other Merck & Co., Inc. news, insider Sanat Chattopadhyay sold 83,994 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, January 9th. The shares were 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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,312,555. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In other Merck & Co., Inc. news, insider Sanat Chattopadhyay sold 83,994 shares of the company’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 completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 29,500 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,312,555. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Joseph Romanelli sold 5,000 shares of Merck & Co., Inc. stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $108.22, for a total value of $541,100.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 20,284 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,195,134.48. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 100,245 shares of company stock worth $11,168,256 over the last three months. Insiders own 0.29% of the company’s stock.

Merck & Co., Inc. 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.