Advisors Asset Management Inc. Sells 11,861 Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK)

Advisors Asset Management Inc. cut its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 4.4% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 256,715 shares of the company’s stock after selling 11,861 shares during the quarter. Merck & Co., Inc. accounts for about 0.5% of Advisors Asset Management Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 28th biggest holding. Advisors Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $25,538,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of MRK. PDS Planning Inc grew its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 17.4% in the fourth quarter. PDS Planning Inc now owns 15,875 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,579,000 after purchasing an additional 2,357 shares in the last quarter. Kensington Investment Counsel LLC grew its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 3.5% in the fourth quarter. Kensington Investment Counsel LLC now owns 39,554 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,935,000 after purchasing an additional 1,324 shares in the last quarter. Retirement Planning Co of New England Inc. grew its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 4.2% in the fourth quarter. Retirement Planning Co of New England Inc. now owns 9,278 shares of the company’s stock valued at $923,000 after purchasing an additional 374 shares in the last quarter. Mystic Asset Management Inc. grew its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 14.2% in the fourth quarter. Mystic Asset Management Inc. now owns 23,951 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,383,000 after purchasing an additional 2,971 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Leelyn Smith LLC grew its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 3.4% in the fourth quarter. Leelyn Smith LLC now owns 39,122 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,892,000 after purchasing an additional 1,286 shares in the last quarter. 76.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have weighed in on MRK shares. Citigroup decreased their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $125.00 to $115.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. BMO Capital Markets cut their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $105.00 to $96.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, February 5th. TD Securities cut Merck & Co., Inc. from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and cut their price objective for the company from $121.00 to $100.00 in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Hsbc Global Res raised Merck & Co., Inc. from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 4th. Finally, Truist Financial reaffirmed a “hold” rating and issued a $110.00 price objective (down from $130.00) on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and three have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $117.12.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Cristal N. Downing sold 2,361 shares of Merck & Co., Inc. stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $88.76, for a total value of $209,562.36. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 7,085 shares in the company, valued at approximately $628,864.60. This trade represents a 24.99 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Inge G. Thulin purchased 2,833 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 6th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $88.25 per share, for a total transaction of $250,012.25. Following the purchase, the director now owns 2,933 shares in the company, valued at approximately $258,837.25. The trade was a 2,833.00 % increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.09% of the company’s stock.

Merck & Co., Inc. Price Performance

Shares of NYSE MRK opened at $94.84 on Tuesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $239.56 billion, a PE ratio of 14.09, a P/E/G ratio of 0.77 and a beta of 0.35. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.79, a current ratio of 1.36 and a quick ratio of 1.15. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $93.47 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $101.62. Merck & Co., Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $81.04 and a fifty-two week high of $134.63.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 4th. The company reported $1.72 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.85 by ($0.13). Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 26.67% and a return on equity of 45.35%. The company had revenue of $15.62 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $15.51 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.03 earnings per share. Merck & Co., Inc.’s revenue was up 6.8% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts predict that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 7th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 17th will be paid a $0.81 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 17th. This represents a $3.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.42%. Merck & Co., Inc.’s payout ratio is 48.14%.

Merck & Co., Inc. announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a share repurchase program on Tuesday, January 28th that permits the company to buyback $10.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the company to reacquire up to 4.1% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are often a sign that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Merck & Co., Inc. 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.