Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund grew its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK – Get Rating) by 18.0% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 776,001 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 118,258 shares during the quarter. Merck & Co., Inc. comprises approximately 1.1% of Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 6th largest position. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $86,097,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.
A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of MRK. Empowered Funds LLC raised its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 1,223.9% in the 4th quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 45,385 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,035,000 after acquiring an additional 41,957 shares in the last quarter. Comerica Bank lifted its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.4% in the fourth quarter. Comerica Bank now owns 704,036 shares of the company’s stock valued at $77,761,000 after buying an additional 2,457 shares during the period. Symphony Financial Ltd. Co. boosted its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 5.7% during the 4th quarter. Symphony Financial Ltd. Co. now owns 5,915 shares of the company’s stock worth $663,000 after buying an additional 318 shares in the last quarter. Vigilant Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 23.4% during the 4th quarter. Vigilant Capital Management LLC now owns 7,419 shares of the company’s stock worth $823,000 after buying an additional 1,405 shares during the period. Finally, United Asset Strategies Inc. increased its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 254.4% in the 4th quarter. United Asset Strategies Inc. now owns 109,005 shares of the company’s stock valued at $12,094,000 after acquiring an additional 78,246 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 72.89% of the company’s stock.
Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth
A number of equities research analysts have commented on MRK shares. Mizuho restated a “buy” rating and issued a $130.00 price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Friday, March 17th. Berenberg Bank raised their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $125.00 to $130.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, March 10th. Cowen upped their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $108.00 to $120.00 in a research note on Tuesday, January 3rd. Credit Suisse Group increased their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $125.00 to $126.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 7th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $120.00 to $125.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 23rd. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Merck & Co., Inc. has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $119.35.
Merck & Co., Inc. Price Performance
Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK – Get Rating) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 2nd. The company reported $1.62 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 business had revenue of $13.83 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $13.66 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.80 earnings per share. Merck & Co., Inc.’s quarterly revenue was up 2.3% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts predict that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 6.87 earnings per share for the current year.
Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend
The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 10th. Investors of record on Wednesday, March 15th will be given a dividend of $0.73 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 14th. This represents a $2.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.60%. Merck & Co., Inc.’s payout ratio is currently 51.14%.
Insider Buying and Selling
In other Merck & Co., Inc. news, insider Sanat Chattopadhyay sold 83,994 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated 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 in the company, valued at $3,312,555. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In other Merck & Co., Inc. 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 completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 29,500 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,312,555. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Joseph Romanelli sold 5,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $108.22, for a total value of $541,100.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 20,284 shares in the company, valued at $2,195,134.48. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 100,245 shares of company stock worth $11,168,256. Insiders own 0.29% of the company’s stock.
Merck & Co., Inc. Company Profile
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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