Burt Wealth Advisors grew its position in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK – Get Rating) by 1.8% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 5,557 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 99 shares during the quarter. Burt Wealth Advisors’ holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $591,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.
A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Retirement Financial Solutions LLC bought a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. during the fourth quarter worth $26,000. Legend Financial Advisors Inc. bought a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. during the third quarter worth $27,000. Tradewinds Capital Management LLC increased 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 worth $35,000 after acquiring an additional 93 shares during the period. Kepos Capital LP bought a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. during the fourth quarter worth $36,000. Finally, Hanseatic Management Services Inc. bought a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. during the fourth quarter worth $38,000. Institutional investors own 76.60% of the company’s stock.
Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Up 0.8 %
Shares of NYSE MRK opened at $114.60 on Friday. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $113.61 and its 200 day simple moving average is $110.64. The company has a market cap of $290.79 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.38, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.00 and a beta of 0.35. The company has a quick ratio of 1.19, a current ratio of 1.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 12-month low of $84.52 and a 12-month high of $119.65.
Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend
The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, July 10th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, June 15th will be given a dividend of $0.73 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, June 14th. This represents a $2.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.55%. Merck & Co., Inc.’s payout ratio is presently 57.03%.
Analyst Ratings Changes
A number of brokerages recently issued reports on MRK. Citigroup raised shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $105.00 to $130.00 in a research report on Thursday, April 13th. Barclays boosted their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $128.00 to $130.00 in a report on Monday, May 1st. Berenberg Bank boosted their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $125.00 to $130.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, March 10th. Societe Generale lowered shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 28th. Finally, StockNews.com began coverage on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Thursday, May 18th. They issued a “strong-buy” rating on the stock. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, sixteen have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $120.75.
Insider Buying and Selling at Merck & Co., Inc.
In other Merck & Co., Inc. news, EVP Steven Mizell sold 53,400 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $119.01, for a total transaction of $6,355,134.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 31,685 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,770,831.85. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other news, VP Rita A. Karachun sold 15,875 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 4th. The stock was 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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,372,296.30. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Steven Mizell sold 53,400 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $119.01, for a total value of $6,355,134.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 31,685 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,770,831.85. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 488,258 shares of company stock worth $56,481,018. Company insiders own 0.20% of the company’s stock.
About Merck & Co., Inc.
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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