Mcmillion Capital Management Inc. lessened its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK – Free Report) by 7.7% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 18,927 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,571 shares during the period. Merck & Co., Inc. accounts for about 1.9% of Mcmillion Capital Management Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 15th largest position. Mcmillion Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $2,014,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).
Several other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Marion Wealth Management increased its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.7% in the 1st quarter. Marion Wealth Management now owns 22,116 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,353,000 after buying an additional 578 shares during the period. Corundum Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 39.1% in the 1st quarter. Corundum Group Inc. now owns 17,804 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,894,000 after purchasing an additional 5,000 shares in the last quarter. Legacy CG LLC lifted its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 3.2% in the 1st quarter. Legacy CG LLC now owns 36,733 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,908,000 after purchasing an additional 1,134 shares during the period. Peoples Bank OH lifted its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 6.7% in the 1st quarter. Peoples Bank OH now owns 10,649 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,133,000 after purchasing an additional 667 shares during the period. Finally, Dominguez Wealth Management Solutions Inc. increased its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 1.9% during the first quarter. Dominguez Wealth Management Solutions Inc. now owns 25,469 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,710,000 after buying an additional 465 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.60% of the company’s stock.
Analyst Ratings Changes
A number of equities analysts recently commented on the stock. Citigroup raised shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their price objective for the stock from $105.00 to $130.00 in a research note on Thursday, April 13th. Mizuho reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $130.00 price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Monday, April 10th. Barclays boosted their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $128.00 to $130.00 in a research note on Monday, May 1st. BTIG Research downgraded shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research note on Sunday, April 16th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company downgraded shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and reduced their price objective for the stock from $120.00 to $115.00 in a research note on Monday, March 13th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $122.83.
Insider Buying and Selling at Merck & Co., Inc.
Merck & Co., Inc. Price Performance
Shares of MRK opened at $109.00 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $276.58 billion, a PE ratio of 21.29, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 0.35. 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. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $113.23 and its 200-day moving average price is $110.86.
Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK – Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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 net margin of 22.52% and a return on equity of 37.92%. The firm had revenue of $14.49 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $13.81 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $2.14 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 8.9% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts predict that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 6.95 EPS for the current year.
Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend
The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, July 10th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, June 15th will be issued a $0.73 dividend. This represents a $2.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.68%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, June 14th. Merck & Co., Inc.’s payout ratio is 57.03%.
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 – 7/3 – 7/7
- Pfizer Just Invested $25 million In This Biotech
- Cracks In The Labor Market? Not Yet, But They’re Coming
- Levi’s: Buy On The Dip Or Downtrend In Play?
- Who Wins And Who Loses With China’s Metal Restrictions
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.
