Windward Capital Management Co. CA purchased a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK – Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm purchased 29,548 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,144,000.
Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Retirement Financial Solutions LLC bought a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Legend Financial Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $27,000. Tradewinds Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 41.5% in the 4th quarter. Tradewinds Capital Management LLC now owns 317 shares of the company’s stock worth $35,000 after buying an additional 93 shares during the last quarter. Kepos Capital LP bought a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the 4th quarter worth approximately $36,000. Finally, Hanseatic Management Services Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $38,000. 76.60% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.
Wall Street Analyst Weigh In
Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on MRK shares. Guggenheim lifted their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $123.00 to $124.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 11th. Mizuho restated a “buy” rating and set a $130.00 price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Monday, April 10th. BTIG Research lowered Merck & Co., Inc. from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research report on Sunday, April 16th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered Merck & Co., Inc. from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and dropped their price target for the company from $120.00 to $115.00 in a research report on Monday, March 13th. Finally, Citigroup upgraded Merck & Co., Inc. from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price target 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 and sixteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $122.83.
Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Down 2.5 %
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, topping 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 firm had revenue of $14.49 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $13.81 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $2.14 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was down 8.9% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts forecast that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 6.95 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.
Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement
The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, July 10th. Investors of record on Thursday, June 15th will be given a dividend of $0.73 per share. This represents a $2.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.68%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, June 14th. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 57.03%.
Insider Activity at Merck & Co., Inc.
In related news, CEO Robert M. Davis sold 143,329 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, April 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $114.93, for a total transaction of $16,472,801.97. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 271,817 shares in the company, valued at $31,239,927.81. 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 business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $119.01, for a total transaction of $6,355,134.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 31,685 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,770,831.85. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Robert M. Davis sold 143,329 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, April 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $114.93, for a total value of $16,472,801.97. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 271,817 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $31,239,927.81. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 488,258 shares of company stock worth $56,481,018. 0.20% of the stock is owned by insiders.
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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