Human Investing LLC decreased its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK – Get Rating) by 18.3% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 16,871 shares of the company’s stock after selling 3,785 shares during the quarter. Merck & Co., Inc. accounts for about 0.5% of Human Investing LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 27th biggest position. Human Investing LLC’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $1,872,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.
Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Renaissance Technologies LLC lifted its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 2,671.4% in the 1st quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 5,099,334 shares of the company’s stock valued at $418,400,000 after buying an additional 4,915,334 shares in the last quarter. Caisse DE Depot ET Placement DU Quebec raised its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 256.3% in the 1st quarter. Caisse DE Depot ET Placement DU Quebec now owns 4,882,173 shares of the company’s stock valued at $400,582,000 after purchasing an additional 3,511,900 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 1.4% during the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 224,134,448 shares of the company’s stock worth $19,302,459,000 after purchasing an additional 3,081,402 shares during the last quarter. Great West Life Assurance Co. Can acquired a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the third quarter valued at approximately $243,240,000. Finally, Assenagon Asset Management S.A. grew its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 254.9% in the 3rd quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 2,647,130 shares of the company’s stock worth $227,971,000 after acquiring an additional 1,901,328 shares during the period. 72.89% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.
Analysts Set New Price Targets
Several analysts have commented on the company. Cantor Fitzgerald lifted their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $120.00 to $135.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, December 19th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $120.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 23rd. Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $100.00 to $99.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 3rd. Credit Suisse Group boosted their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $125.00 to $126.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 7th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut Merck & Co., Inc. from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and decreased their price target for the stock from $120.00 to $115.00 in a report on Monday, March 13th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus 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 posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 2nd. The company reported $1.62 earnings per share (EPS) 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 firm posted $1.80 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 2.3% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 6.87 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.
Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement
The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 10th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, March 15th will be paid a $0.73 dividend. This represents a $2.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.60%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 14th. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio is presently 51.14%.
Insider Activity at Merck & Co., Inc.
In other Merck & Co., Inc. news, EVP Steven Mizell sold 4,436 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $104.25, for a total value 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 sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. In related news, EVP Steven Mizell sold 4,436 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 in the company, valued at $4,159,575. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, insider Joseph Romanelli sold 5,000 shares of the 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 sale, the insider now owns 20,284 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $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 90 days. 0.29% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.
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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