Caisse Des Depots ET Consignations Invests $7.55 Million in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK)

Caisse Des Depots ET Consignations acquired a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund acquired 75,889 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,549,000.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Blair William & Co. IL increased its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.7% during the fourth quarter. Blair William & Co. IL now owns 1,008,963 shares of the company’s stock worth $100,372,000 after buying an additional 6,634 shares in the last quarter. LM Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 63.6% during the fourth quarter. LM Advisors LLC now owns 20,046 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,010,000 after acquiring an additional 7,795 shares during the last quarter. Homestead Advisers Corp increased its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 3.8% during the 4th quarter. Homestead Advisers Corp now owns 678,804 shares of the company’s stock worth $67,527,000 after purchasing an additional 24,800 shares in the last quarter. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P raised its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 42.5% in the 4th quarter. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P now owns 187,219 shares of the company’s stock valued at $18,625,000 after purchasing an additional 55,795 shares during the last quarter. Finally, AssuredPartners Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. in the 4th quarter valued at about $785,000. 76.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Performance

Shares of MRK stock opened at $88.06 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $222.44 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.08, a PEG ratio of 0.77 and a beta of 0.35. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $92.35 and its 200-day simple moving average is $100.48. 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. has a one year low of $81.04 and a one year high of $134.63.

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

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 7th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 17th will be issued a dividend of $0.81 per share. This represents a $3.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.68%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 17th. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 48.14%.

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Bank of America lowered their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $118.00 to $112.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. TD Cowen downgraded Merck & Co., Inc. from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and cut their price target for the company from $121.00 to $100.00 in a report on Monday, February 10th. Truist Financial restated a “hold” rating and set a $110.00 price objective (down previously from $130.00) on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Citigroup dropped their target price 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. Finally, BMO Capital Markets decreased their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $105.00 to $96.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. Eleven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and three have given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Merck & Co., Inc. has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $117.12.

Insider Transactions at Merck & Co., Inc.

In other Merck & Co., Inc. news, insider Cristal N. Downing sold 2,361 shares of the 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 sale, the insider now directly owns 7,085 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $628,864.60. This trade represents a 24.99 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, Director Inge G. Thulin bought 2,833 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 6th. The stock was bought at an average price of $88.25 per share, for a total transaction of $250,012.25. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now directly owns 2,933 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $258,837.25. The trade was a 2,833.00 % increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders own 0.09% of the company’s stock.

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.