M&G Investment Management Ltd. lowered its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK – Get Rating) by 20.5% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 544,084 shares of the company’s stock after selling 140,178 shares during the period. M&G Investment Management Ltd.’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $60,393,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.
A number of other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Marion Wealth Management increased its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 18.5% in the fourth quarter. Marion Wealth Management now owns 21,538 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,390,000 after buying an additional 3,366 shares in the last quarter. Crescent Sterling Ltd. purchased a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. during the 4th quarter valued at about $806,000. S.C. Financial Services Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 5.4% in the fourth quarter. S.C. Financial Services Inc. now owns 8,540 shares of the company’s stock valued at $947,000 after purchasing an additional 438 shares during the last quarter. Capital Investment Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 15.1% during the 4th quarter. Capital Investment Advisors LLC now owns 376,138 shares of the company’s stock worth $41,733,000 after acquiring an additional 49,374 shares during the period. Finally, Red Door Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 5.4% in the 4th quarter. Red Door Wealth Management LLC now owns 54,662 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,065,000 after purchasing an additional 2,790 shares during the last quarter. 72.89% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.
Analyst Ratings Changes
A number of research analysts have commented on the company. Wolfe Research upgraded Merck & Co., Inc. from a “peer perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $127.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, February 22nd. Bank of America raised Merck & Co., Inc. from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their target price for the company from $110.00 to $130.00 in a report on Wednesday, January 4th. SVB Leerink boosted their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $120.00 to $122.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, February 3rd. Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Monday, March 6th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $125.00 target price for the company. Finally, Societe Generale lowered Merck & Co., Inc. from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 28th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $119.35.
Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Performance
Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK – Get Rating) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 2nd. The company reported $1.62 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.56 by $0.06. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 24.49% and a return on equity of 43.47%. The firm had revenue of $13.83 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $13.66 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.80 earnings per share. Merck & Co., Inc.’s revenue was up 2.3% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts forecast that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 6.87 earnings per share for the current year.
Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement
The business 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. This represents a $2.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.60%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 14th. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 51.14%.
Insider Transactions at Merck & Co., Inc.
In related news, EVP Steven Mizell sold 4,436 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $104.25, for a total transaction of $462,453.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 39,900 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,159,575. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In related news, EVP Steven Mizell sold 4,436 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $104.25, for a total transaction of $462,453.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 39,900 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,159,575. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Joseph Romanelli sold 5,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $108.22, for a total value of $541,100.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 20,284 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,195,134.48. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 16,251 shares of company stock valued at $1,736,570 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.29% of the company’s stock.
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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