Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) Shares Acquired by Tlwm

Tlwm boosted its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 1.5% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 10,339 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 152 shares during the period. Merck & Co., Inc. accounts for approximately 0.3% of Tlwm’s holdings, making the stock its 25th largest holding. Tlwm’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $1,193,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of MRK. Kepos Capital LP purchased a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the fourth quarter worth about $36,000. Ruedi Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the 4th quarter worth approximately $39,000. Front Row Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 36.0% in the first quarter. Front Row Advisors LLC now owns 363 shares of the company’s stock worth $39,000 after purchasing an additional 96 shares during the period. Kalos Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the 1st quarter valued at about $64,000. Finally, Financial Connections Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 47.1% during the fourth quarter. Financial Connections Group Inc. now owns 718 shares of the company’s stock valued at $79,000 after purchasing an additional 230 shares during the last quarter. 74.59% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Merck & Co., Inc.

In related news, EVP Steven Mizell sold 4,250 shares of Merck & Co., Inc. 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 transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 22,935 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,500,144.35. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 0.20% of the company’s stock.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Up 0.3 %

MRK stock opened at $107.82 on Tuesday. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $107.87 and its 200 day simple moving average is $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 company has a market cap of $273.60 billion, a PE ratio of 88.38, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.24 and a beta of 0.33. Merck & Co., Inc. has a twelve month low of $84.52 and a twelve month high of $119.65.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 1st. The company reported ($2.06) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of ($2.18) by $0.12. The business had revenue of $15.04 billion for 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%. Merck & Co., Inc.’s quarterly revenue was up 3.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.87 earnings per share. On average, research analysts anticipate that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 3.03 earnings per share for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, October 6th. Investors of record on Friday, September 15th will be given a dividend of $0.73 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, September 14th. This represents a $2.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.71%. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 239.34%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Truist Financial lifted their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $116.00 to $122.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 2nd. StockNews.com cut shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 31st. Cantor Fitzgerald restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $135.00 target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Tuesday, September 5th. TheStreet lowered Merck & Co., Inc. from an “a-” rating to a “c+” rating in a research report on Friday, September 1st. Finally, BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $102.00 to $113.00 in a report on Tuesday, July 18th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $124.74.

About Merck & Co., Inc.

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.