Hunter Perkins Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK – Free Report) by 36.2% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 136,422 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 36,292 shares during the period. Merck & Co., Inc. accounts for about 2.9% of Hunter Perkins Capital Management LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 9th biggest holding. Hunter Perkins Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $13,654,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.
A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of MRK. Darwin Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. in the 3rd quarter worth $32,000. AM Squared Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the third quarter valued at about $34,000. Safe Harbor Fiduciary LLC purchased a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the third quarter valued at about $34,000. Peterson Financial Group Inc. bought a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the third quarter worth about $36,000. Finally, Quarry LP purchased a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the second quarter worth about $42,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.07% of the company’s stock.
Analyst Ratings Changes
A number of research analysts recently commented on the company. UBS Group lowered their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $125.00 to $120.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Leerink Partners lowered their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $136.00 to $119.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, January 13th. Bank of America reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $121.00 target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. Citigroup decreased their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $140.00 to $130.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein began coverage on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Thursday, October 17th. They set a “market perform” rating and a $115.00 price objective for the company. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and four have issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $123.00.
Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Performance
NYSE MRK opened at $95.54 on Monday. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $99.80 and its 200-day moving average price is $108.56. Merck & Co., Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $94.48 and a fifty-two week high of $134.63. The company has a market cap of $241.69 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.03, a P/E/G ratio of 1.13 and a beta of 0.39. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.79, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a current ratio of 1.36.
Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK – Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 31st. The company reported $1.57 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.50 by $0.07. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 19.23% and a return on equity of 36.42%. The business had revenue of $16.66 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $16.47 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $2.13 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 4.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts predict that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 7.67 earnings per share for the current year.
Merck & Co., Inc. Increases Dividend
The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 8th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 16th were paid a dividend of $0.81 per share. This is a boost from Merck & Co., Inc.’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.77. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 16th. This represents a $3.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.39%. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio is currently 67.92%.
Merck & Co., Inc. Company Profile
Merck & Co, Inc is a health care company, which engages in the provision of health solutions through its prescription medicines, vaccines, biologic therapies, animal health, and consumer care products. It operates through the following segments: Pharmaceutical, Animal Health, and Other. The Pharmaceutical segment includes human health pharmaceutical and vaccine products.
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