Capital Investment Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK – Get Rating) by 4.2% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 392,090 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 15,952 shares during the period. Merck & Co., Inc. accounts for approximately 1.2% of Capital Investment Advisors LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 17th biggest position. Capital Investment Advisors LLC’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $41,714,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.
A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Marion Wealth Management increased its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 18.5% in the fourth quarter. Marion Wealth Management now owns 21,538 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,390,000 after purchasing an additional 3,366 shares during the period. Ascent Wealth Partners LLC boosted its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 3.1% during the fourth quarter. Ascent Wealth Partners LLC now owns 17,520 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,944,000 after purchasing an additional 533 shares in the last quarter. Crescent Sterling Ltd. acquired a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $806,000. Alaska Wealth Advisors acquired a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $228,000. Finally, Drive Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 181.8% during the fourth quarter. Drive Wealth Management LLC now owns 10,775 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,204,000 after purchasing an additional 6,952 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.60% of the company’s stock.
Insider Buying and Selling
In related news, CEO Robert M. Davis sold 143,329 shares of Merck & Co., Inc. stock in a transaction on Friday, April 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $114.93, for a total transaction of $16,472,801.97. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 271,817 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $31,239,927.81. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. In other Merck & Co., Inc. news, CEO Robert M. Davis sold 143,329 shares of Merck & Co., Inc. stock in a transaction on Friday, April 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $114.93, for a total value of $16,472,801.97. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 271,817 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $31,239,927.81. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, VP Rita A. Karachun sold 15,875 shares of the business’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 sale, the vice president now directly owns 45,710 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,372,296.30. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 488,258 shares of company stock valued at $56,481,018 over the last quarter. Insiders own 0.20% of the company’s stock.
Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Performance
Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK – Get Rating) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 27th. The company reported $1.40 EPS 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 analyst estimates of $13.81 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 22.52% and a return on equity of 37.92%. Merck & Co., Inc.’s revenue was down 8.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $2.14 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts forecast that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 6.95 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.
Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement
The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, July 10th. Investors of record on Thursday, June 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.73 per share. This represents a $2.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.65%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, June 14th. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio is presently 57.03%.
Analysts Set New Price Targets
Several brokerages have recently commented on MRK. Wells Fargo & Company downgraded Merck & Co., Inc. from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and reduced their target price for the stock from $120.00 to $115.00 in a report on Monday, March 13th. Berenberg Bank upped their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $125.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, March 10th. Atlantic Securities upped their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $122.00 to $127.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 7th. Wolfe Research upgraded shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “peer perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $127.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Wednesday, February 22nd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $120.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 23rd. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, sixteen have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $120.75.
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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