Patten Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK – Get Rating) by 2.9% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 26,214 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 731 shares during the quarter. Merck & Co., Inc. accounts for approximately 0.8% of Patten Group Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 29th largest position. Patten Group Inc.’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $2,789,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.
Several other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Retirement Financial Solutions LLC bought a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. Legend Financial Advisors Inc. bought a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the 3rd quarter worth about $27,000. Tradewinds Capital Management LLC increased 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 acquiring an additional 93 shares in the last quarter. Kepos Capital LP acquired a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. during the 4th quarter worth approximately $36,000. Finally, Hanseatic Management Services Inc. bought a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the 4th quarter worth $38,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.60% of the company’s stock.
Insider Transactions at Merck & Co., Inc.
In related news, VP Rita A. Karachun sold 15,875 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $117.53, for a total transaction of $1,865,788.75. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 45,710 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,372,296.30. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. In related news, EVP Steven Mizell sold 53,400 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $119.01, for a total value of $6,355,134.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 31,685 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,770,831.85. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, VP Rita A. Karachun sold 15,875 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $117.53, for a total value of $1,865,788.75. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 45,710 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,372,296.30. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 488,258 shares of company stock worth $56,481,018. Corporate insiders own 0.20% of the company’s stock.
Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades
Merck & Co., Inc. Trading Down 0.1 %
Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. stock opened at $109.32 on Tuesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $277.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.35, a PEG ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 0.35. Merck & Co., Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $83.39 and a fifty-two week high of $119.65. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60, a quick ratio of 1.19 and a current ratio of 1.44. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $113.76 and a 200 day moving average of $110.57.
Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK – Get Rating) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 27th. The company reported $1.40 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.34 by $0.06. The business had revenue of $14.49 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $13.81 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 37.92% and a net margin of 22.52%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 8.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.14 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts predict that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 6.95 earnings per share for the current year.
Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement
The company also recently announced 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. This represents a $2.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.67%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, June 14th. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 57.03%.
Merck & Co., Inc. Profile
Merck & Co, Inc operates as a healthcare company worldwide. It operates through two segments, Pharmaceutical and Animal Health. The Pharmaceutical segment offers human health pharmaceutical products in the areas of oncology, hospital acute care, immunology, neuroscience, virology, cardiovascular, and diabetes, as well as vaccine products, such as preventive pediatric, adolescent, and adult vaccines.
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