Azimuth Capital Investment Management LLC increased its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK – Get Rating) by 33.8% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 237,469 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 60,001 shares during the period. Merck & Co., Inc. makes up 1.3% of Azimuth Capital Investment Management LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 10th largest position. Azimuth Capital Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $26,347,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.
Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of MRK. Retirement Financial Solutions LLC acquired a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Legend Financial Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. during the third quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Tradewinds Capital Management LLC lifted its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 41.5% during the fourth 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. Kepos Capital LP acquired a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Finally, Hanseatic Management Services Inc. acquired a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $38,000. 72.89% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.
Analysts Set New Price Targets
A number of brokerages have weighed in on MRK. Citigroup raised shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price target for the company from $105.00 to $130.00 in a research report on Thursday, April 13th. Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $128.00 to $130.00 in a research note on Monday, May 1st. Wells Fargo & Company lowered shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and dropped their price objective for the company from $120.00 to $115.00 in a research note on Monday, March 13th. Berenberg Bank lifted their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $125.00 to $130.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, March 10th. Finally, Mizuho reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $130.00 price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Monday, April 10th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, sixteen have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $120.75.
Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Up 0.1 %
Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK – Get Rating) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, April 27th. The company reported $1.40 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.34 by $0.06. The company had revenue of $14.49 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $13.81 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 22.52% and a return on equity of 37.92%. The firm’s revenue was down 8.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $2.14 earnings per share. Equities analysts anticipate that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 6.95 EPS for the current year.
Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement
The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, July 10th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, June 15th will be given a dividend of $0.73 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, June 14th. This represents a $2.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.65%. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio is currently 57.03%.
Insider Transactions at Merck & Co., Inc.
In other news, VP Rita A. Karachun sold 15,875 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $117.53, for a total transaction of $1,865,788.75. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 45,710 shares in the company, valued at $5,372,296.30. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In other news, VP Rita A. Karachun sold 15,875 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $117.53, for a total transaction of $1,865,788.75. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 45,710 shares in the company, valued at $5,372,296.30. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Sanat Chattopadhyay sold 134,055 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $115.07, for a total transaction of $15,425,708.85. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 488,258 shares of company stock worth $56,481,018. Insiders own 0.20% 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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