Trek Financial LLC reduced its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK – Free Report) by 55.2% during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 20,832 shares of the company’s stock after selling 25,618 shares during the period. Trek Financial LLC’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $2,216,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.
A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the business. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 10.6% during the first quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 68,563,817 shares of the company’s stock valued at $7,294,504,000 after acquiring an additional 6,546,946 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.5% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 48,339,275 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,354,384,000 after acquiring an additional 238,356 shares during the last quarter. Morgan Stanley grew its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 10.6% during the fourth quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 41,850,081 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,643,267,000 after acquiring an additional 4,000,816 shares during the last quarter. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC grew its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 103,159.7% during the fourth quarter. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC now owns 39,327,490 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,363,385,000 after acquiring an additional 39,289,404 shares during the last quarter. Finally, FMR LLC grew its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 30.2% during the first quarter. FMR LLC now owns 35,734,925 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,801,839,000 after acquiring an additional 8,281,942 shares during the last quarter. 74.59% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.
Insiders Place Their Bets
In other news, EVP Steven Mizell sold 4,250 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, August 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $109.01, for a total transaction of $463,292.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 22,935 shares in the company, valued at $2,500,144.35. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.20% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.
Merck & Co., Inc. Price Performance
Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK – Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 1st. The company reported ($2.06) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of ($2.18) by $0.12. The business had revenue of $15.04 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $14.44 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 16.29% and a net margin of 5.34%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 3.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.87 earnings per share. Research analysts predict that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 3.03 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 Friday, October 6th. Shareholders of record on Friday, September 15th will be issued a $0.73 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, September 14th. This represents a $2.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.68%. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 239.34%.
Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth
A number of analysts have recently weighed in on MRK shares. TheStreet lowered Merck & Co., Inc. from an “a-” rating to a “c+” rating in a research note on Friday, September 1st. Truist Financial increased their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $116.00 to $122.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 2nd. HSBC started coverage on Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Friday, July 14th. They set a “hold” rating and a $123.00 price objective for the company. Cantor Fitzgerald reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $135.00 price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Tuesday. Finally, StockNews.com lowered Merck & Co., Inc. from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 31st. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Merck & Co., Inc. presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $124.74.
Check Out Our Latest Stock Report on Merck & Co., Inc.
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.
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