Dakota Wealth Management increased its position in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK – Get Rating) by 432.3% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 119,217 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 96,819 shares during the quarter. Merck & Co., Inc. comprises about 0.8% of Dakota Wealth Management’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 26th biggest position. Dakota Wealth Management’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $12,684,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.
Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in MRK. Retirement Financial Solutions LLC purchased a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. in the fourth quarter valued at about $26,000. Legend Financial Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. in the third quarter valued at about $27,000. Tradewinds Capital Management LLC raised its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 41.5% in the fourth quarter. Tradewinds Capital Management LLC now owns 317 shares of the company’s stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 93 shares during the period. Kepos Capital LP purchased a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. in the fourth quarter valued at about $36,000. Finally, Hanseatic Management Services Inc. purchased a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. in the fourth quarter valued at about $38,000. 76.60% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.
Insider Buying and Selling
In other Merck & Co., Inc. news, VP Rita A. Karachun sold 15,875 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on 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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,372,296.30. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 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 sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 31,685 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,770,831.85. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, 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 transaction of $1,865,788.75. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 45,710 shares in the company, valued at $5,372,296.30. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders sold 488,258 shares of company stock worth $56,481,018. Corporate insiders own 0.20% of the company’s stock.
Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth
Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Performance
Shares of NYSE MRK opened at $114.60 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 1.44, a quick ratio of 1.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $113.61 and a 200-day simple moving average of $110.64. The company has a market cap of $290.79 billion, a PE ratio of 22.38, a P/E/G ratio of 2.00 and a beta of 0.35. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 12-month low of $84.52 and a 12-month high of $119.65.
Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK – Get Rating) last posted its quarterly earnings results 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. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 37.92% and a net margin of 22.52%. The company had revenue of $14.49 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $13.81 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $2.14 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was down 8.9% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 6.95 EPS for the current year.
Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement
The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, July 10th. Investors of record on Thursday, June 15th will be issued a $0.73 dividend. This represents a $2.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.55%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, June 14th. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio is presently 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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