Steigerwald Gordon & Koch Inc. grew its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK – Free Report) by 3.4% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 5,512 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 183 shares during the quarter. Steigerwald Gordon & Koch Inc.’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $586,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.
Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Retirement Financial Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. during the 4th quarter worth $26,000. Legend Financial Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the third quarter worth about $27,000. Tradewinds Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 41.5% during the 4th quarter. Tradewinds Capital Management LLC now owns 317 shares of the company’s stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 93 shares in the last quarter. Kepos Capital LP acquired a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Finally, Hanseatic Management Services Inc. bought a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. during the 4th quarter worth approximately $38,000. 76.60% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.
Insider Buying and Selling at Merck & Co., Inc.
In other news, VP Rita A. Karachun sold 15,875 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 45,710 shares in the company, valued at $5,372,296.30. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. In related news, VP Rita A. Karachun sold 15,875 shares of Merck & Co., Inc. stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 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 transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Robert M. Davis sold 143,329 shares of the business’s 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 owns 271,817 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $31,239,927.81. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 488,258 shares of company stock valued at $56,481,018 in the last three months. 0.20% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.
Merck & Co., Inc. Price Performance
Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK – Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 27th. The company reported $1.40 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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 business 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 business earned $2.14 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 8.9% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts anticipate that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 6.95 earnings per share for the current year.
Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement
The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, July 10th. Investors of record on Thursday, June 15th will be paid a $0.73 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, June 14th. This represents a $2.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.53%. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 57.03%.
Analyst Ratings Changes
A number of research analysts have weighed in on MRK shares. Wells Fargo & Company lowered shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and cut their price target for the company from $120.00 to $115.00 in a research note on Monday, March 13th. Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Monday, March 6th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $125.00 target price for the company. StockNews.com began coverage on Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Thursday, May 18th. They issued a “strong-buy” rating on the stock. Barclays upped their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $128.00 to $130.00 in a research report on Monday, May 1st. Finally, Citigroup raised Merck & Co., Inc. from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their target price for the company from $105.00 to $130.00 in a research report on Thursday, April 13th. Five investment 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. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Merck & Co., Inc. presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $121.74.
Merck & Co., Inc. Company 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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