ARS Investment Partners LLC Has $13.68 Million Position in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK)

ARS Investment Partners LLC cut its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 1.1% during the second quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 118,560 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,280 shares during the quarter. Merck & Co., Inc. comprises 1.6% of ARS Investment Partners LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 21st biggest holding. ARS Investment Partners LLC’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $13,681,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in MRK. Buckingham Capital Management Inc. boosted its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.9% in the 2nd quarter. Buckingham Capital Management Inc. now owns 12,021 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,387,000 after purchasing an additional 343 shares during the period. Beese Fulmer Investment Management Inc. boosted its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 4.0% in the 2nd quarter. Beese Fulmer Investment Management Inc. now owns 100,641 shares of the company’s stock valued at $11,613,000 after purchasing an additional 3,830 shares during the period. Town & Country Bank & Trust CO dba First Bankers Trust CO boosted its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 30.8% in the 2nd quarter. Town & Country Bank & Trust CO dba First Bankers Trust CO now owns 37,248 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,298,000 after purchasing an additional 8,775 shares during the period. Janiczek Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 4.2% in the 2nd quarter. Janiczek Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,271 shares of the company’s stock valued at $494,000 after purchasing an additional 173 shares during the period. Finally, Brookstone Capital Management boosted its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.6% in the 2nd quarter. Brookstone Capital Management now owns 49,712 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,419,000 after purchasing an additional 290 shares during the period. 74.59% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Steven Mizell sold 4,250 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $109.01, for a total value of $463,292.50. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 22,935 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,500,144.35. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Insiders own 0.20% of the company’s stock.

Merck & Co., Inc. Price Performance

Shares of MRK opened at $107.82 on Tuesday. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 12-month low of $84.52 and a 12-month high of $119.65. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $107.87 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $110.39. The company has a quick ratio of 1.03, a current ratio of 1.28 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.88. The stock has a market cap of $273.60 billion, a PE ratio of 88.38, a PEG ratio of 4.24 and a beta of 0.33.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 1st. The company reported ($2.06) earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($2.18) by $0.12. The company had revenue of $15.04 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $14.44 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 16.29% and a net margin of 5.34%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 3.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.87 earnings per share. Analysts anticipate that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 3.03 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, October 6th. Stockholders of record on Friday, September 15th will be paid a $0.73 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, September 14th. This represents a $2.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.71%. Merck & Co., Inc.’s payout ratio is 239.34%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MRK has been the subject of several recent research reports. HSBC initiated coverage on Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Friday, July 14th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $123.00 price target for the company. BMO Capital Markets upped their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $102.00 to $113.00 in a research report on Tuesday, July 18th. Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $135.00 target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Tuesday, September 5th. TheStreet downgraded Merck & Co., Inc. from an “a-” rating to a “c+” rating in a research report on Friday, September 1st. Finally, Morgan Stanley upped their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $109.00 to $116.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 2nd. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Merck & Co., Inc. presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $124.74.

Merck & Co., Inc. 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.