Hendershot Investments Inc. decreased its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK – Free Report) by 4.7% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 16,188 shares of the company’s stock after selling 796 shares during the period. Hendershot Investments Inc.’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $1,722,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.
Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Retirement Financial Solutions LLC acquired a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the fourth quarter valued at $26,000. Legend Financial Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. in the third quarter worth about $27,000. Tradewinds Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 41.5% in the fourth quarter. Tradewinds Capital Management LLC now owns 317 shares of the company’s stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 93 shares during the period. Kepos Capital LP acquired a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. in the fourth quarter worth about $36,000. Finally, Hanseatic Management Services Inc. acquired a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. in the fourth quarter worth about $38,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.60% of the company’s stock.
Insiders Place Their Bets
In other Merck & Co., Inc. news, insider Sanat Chattopadhyay sold 134,055 shares of the company’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 transaction of $15,425,708.85. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other news, VP Rita A. Karachun sold 15,875 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $117.53, for a total value 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 $5,372,296.30. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Sanat Chattopadhyay sold 134,055 shares of the 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 488,258 shares of company stock valued at $56,481,018 over the last 90 days. 0.20% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.
Merck & Co., Inc. Trading Down 1.1 %
Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK – Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 27th. The company reported $1.40 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.34 by $0.06. The business had revenue of $14.49 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $13.81 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 37.92% and a net margin of 22.52%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 8.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $2.14 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 6.95 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.
Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement
The business also recently announced 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 was Wednesday, June 14th. This represents a $2.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.69%. Merck & Co., Inc.’s payout ratio is currently 57.03%.
Analyst Ratings Changes
Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on MRK shares. BTIG Research downgraded shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a report on Sunday, April 16th. Guggenheim upped their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $123.00 to $124.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 11th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday. Mizuho reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $130.00 price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Monday, April 10th. Finally, Citigroup upgraded shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their price target for the stock from $105.00 to $130.00 in a research report on Thursday, April 13th. Five 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 a consensus target price of $122.83.
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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