Redwood Wealth Management Group LLC raised its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK – Free Report) by 1.0% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 15,838 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 161 shares during the period. Merck & Co., Inc. comprises approximately 1.9% of Redwood Wealth Management Group LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 13th largest holding. Redwood Wealth Management Group LLC’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $1,685,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Several other large investors have also bought and sold shares of MRK. Marion Wealth Management raised its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 18.5% during the 4th 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 raised its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 3.1% during the 4th quarter. Ascent Wealth Partners LLC now owns 17,520 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,944,000 after purchasing an additional 533 shares during the period. Crescent Sterling Ltd. bought a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. in the 4th quarter valued at about $806,000. Alaska Wealth Advisors bought a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. in the 4th quarter valued at about $228,000. Finally, Drive Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 181.8% in the 4th quarter. Drive Wealth Management LLC now owns 10,775 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,204,000 after acquiring an additional 6,952 shares during the period. 76.60% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.
Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Up 1.6 %
Shares of MRK opened at $115.39 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $292.80 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.54, a P/E/G ratio of 2.01 and a beta of 0.35. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $113.50 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $110.76. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60, a current ratio of 1.44 and a quick ratio of 1.19. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 1 year low of $84.52 and a 1 year high of $119.65.
Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend
The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, July 10th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, June 15th will be paid a $0.73 dividend. This represents a $2.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.53%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, June 14th. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio is currently 57.03%.
Analyst Ratings Changes
A number of brokerages recently issued reports on MRK. Citigroup upgraded Merck & Co., Inc. from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their price objective for the company from $105.00 to $130.00 in a research note on Thursday, April 13th. Atlantic Securities boosted their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $122.00 to $127.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 7th. Berenberg Bank lifted their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $125.00 to $130.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, March 10th. Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Monday, March 6th. They set a “buy” rating and a $125.00 target price for the company. Finally, Barclays lifted their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $128.00 to $130.00 in a report on Monday, May 1st. Five equities research 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 stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Merck & Co., Inc. currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $121.74.
Insiders Place Their Bets
In other Merck & Co., Inc. news, insider Sanat Chattopadhyay sold 134,055 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $115.07, for a total value of $15,425,708.85. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In related news, EVP Richard R. Deluca sold 66,163 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, April 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $115.00, for a total transaction of $7,608,745.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 154,493 shares in the company, valued at $17,766,695. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Sanat Chattopadhyay sold 134,055 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $115.07, for a total value of $15,425,708.85. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 488,258 shares of company stock valued at $56,481,018 over the last quarter. 0.20% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.
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.
Featured Articles
- Five stocks we like better than Merck & Co., Inc.
- MarketBeat Week in Review – 6/26 – 6/30
- Tesla: Can Downgrades Make Sense After A 170% Rally?
- Buffett’s Berkshire Increases Stake In Occidental Petroleum (OXY)
- Rally Gains Momentum On Soft PCE Data
- Bank of America, JPMorgan, Goldman Sachs Set For Dividend Growth?
Want to see what other hedge funds are holding MRK? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK – Free Report).
Receive News & Ratings for Merck & Co. Inc. Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Merck & Co. Inc. and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.
