Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) Shares Sold by Jeppson Wealth Management LLC

Posted by Defense World Staff on Apr 10th, 2023

Jeppson Wealth Management LLC lessened its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK – Get Rating) by 0.7% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 24,661 shares of the company’s stock after selling 168 shares during the quarter. Merck & Co., Inc. accounts for 1.2% of Jeppson Wealth Management LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 16th biggest position. Jeppson Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $2,736,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Tradewinds Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 41.5% in the 4th quarter. Tradewinds Capital Management LLC now owns 317 shares of the company’s stock valued at $35,000 after buying an additional 93 shares in the last quarter. Mcrae Capital Management Inc. boosted its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 1.0% during the fourth quarter. Mcrae Capital Management Inc. now owns 9,524 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,057,000 after purchasing an additional 94 shares during the period. Capital Advantage Inc. grew its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.7% in the 4th quarter. Capital Advantage Inc. now owns 14,353 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,592,000 after buying an additional 95 shares during the last quarter. ICA Group Wealth Management LLC grew its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.7% in the third quarter. ICA Group Wealth Management LLC now owns 14,251 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,227,000 after purchasing an additional 99 shares during the last quarter. Finally, O Keefe Stevens Advisory Inc. boosted its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.7% during the 4th quarter. O Keefe Stevens Advisory Inc. now owns 3,856 shares of the company’s stock valued at $428,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 72.89% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have weighed in on MRK shares. Cantor Fitzgerald increased their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $120.00 to $135.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, December 19th. Credit Suisse Group lifted their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $125.00 to $126.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 7th. Truist Financial boosted their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $106.00 to $118.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 3rd. Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Monday, March 6th. They set a “buy” rating and a $125.00 price target for the company. Finally, Atlantic Securities boosted their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $122.00 to $127.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 7th. 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 presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $119.35.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Up 0.4 %

MRK stock opened at $112.33 on Monday. The company has a market cap of $285.06 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.67, a P/E/G ratio of 2.04 and a beta of 0.34. Merck & Co., Inc. has a twelve month low of $83.05 and a twelve month high of $115.49. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $107.43 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $104.54. The company has a quick ratio of 1.23, a current ratio of 1.47 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK – Get Rating) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 2nd. The company reported $1.62 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 business had revenue of $13.83 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $13.66 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.80 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 2.3% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts anticipate that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 6.87 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 10th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, March 15th will be issued a $0.73 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 14th. This represents a $2.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.60%. Merck & Co., Inc.’s payout ratio is 51.14%.

Insider Activity at Merck & Co., Inc.

In other Merck & Co., Inc. 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 owns 39,900 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,159,575. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. In other Merck & Co., Inc. news, insider Joseph Romanelli sold 5,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $108.22, for a total transaction of $541,100.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 20,284 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,195,134.48. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Steven Mizell sold 4,436 shares of the company’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 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 sold 16,251 shares of company stock worth $1,736,570. Insiders own 0.29% of the company’s stock.

About Merck & Co., Inc.

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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.