Chapman Investment Management LLC Sells 1,056 Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK)

Posted by Defense World Staff on Jul 12th, 2023

Chapman Investment Management LLC decreased its position in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK – Free Report) by 35.5% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 1,920 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,056 shares during the quarter. Chapman Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $204,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Cantor Fitzgerald Investment Advisor L.P increased its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 94.2% in the first quarter. Cantor Fitzgerald Investment Advisor L.P now owns 349,588 shares of the company’s stock valued at $28,683,000 after purchasing an additional 169,536 shares in the last quarter. BCK Partners Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the first quarter valued at approximately $2,423,000. NewEdge Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 6.3% in the first quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 159,225 shares of the company’s stock valued at $13,064,000 after purchasing an additional 9,376 shares in the last quarter. First Western Trust Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the first quarter valued at approximately $1,078,000. Finally, Equitable Holdings Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 12.9% in the first quarter. Equitable Holdings Inc. now owns 36,124 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,964,000 after purchasing an additional 4,131 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 76.60% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Merck & Co., Inc.

In other news, VP Rita A. Karachun sold 15,875 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the vice president now directly owns 45,710 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,372,296.30. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In related 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 value of $6,355,134.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 31,685 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,770,831.85. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed 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 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 in the company, valued at approximately $5,372,296.30. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 488,258 shares of company stock worth $56,481,018 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.20% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Guggenheim raised their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $123.00 to $124.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 11th. Societe Generale lowered shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 28th. Mizuho reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $130.00 target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Monday, April 10th. Citigroup raised shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $105.00 to $130.00 in a report on Thursday, April 13th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $122.83.

Merck & Co., Inc. Trading Down 1.1 %

Shares of NYSE:MRK opened at $108.70 on Wednesday. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $112.92 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $110.83. 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 one year low of $84.52 and a one year high of $119.65. The stock has a market capitalization of $275.82 billion, a PE ratio of 21.23, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 0.35.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK – Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 27th. The company reported $1.40 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 analysts’ expectations of $13.81 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $2.14 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 8.9% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts forecast that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 6.95 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, July 10th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, June 15th were given a dividend of $0.73 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, June 14th. This represents a $2.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.69%. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 57.03%.

Merck & Co., Inc. Company Profile

(Free Report)

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.