Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) Stock Price Down 2.9% – Here’s Why

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRKGet Free Report) fell 2.9% during trading on Thursday . The stock traded as low as $98.60 and last traded at $101.84. 5,045,437 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 43% from the average session volume of 8,795,591 shares. The stock had previously closed at $104.83.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have weighed in on the company. Wolfe Research raised Merck & Co., Inc. to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 31st. Evercore ISI raised Merck & Co., Inc. to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 30th. Barclays dropped their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $142.00 to $140.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, October 7th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $140.00 to $125.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, July 31st. Finally, Bank of America lowered their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $150.00 to $145.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, July 31st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and four have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $131.46.

Check Out Our Latest Report on MRK

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80, a quick ratio of 1.22 and a current ratio of 1.47. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $112.87 and a 200 day moving average price of $121.17. The company has a market capitalization of $259.97 billion, a PE ratio of 18.89, a PEG ratio of 1.49 and a beta of 0.39.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRKGet Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 30th. The company reported $2.28 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.16 by $0.12. The company had revenue of $16.10 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $15.87 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 21.99% and a return on equity of 40.69%. Merck & Co., Inc.’s revenue was up 7.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned ($2.06) EPS. Equities analysts forecast that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 7.76 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Merck & Co., Inc.

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Baugh & Associates LLC boosted its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 9.8% in the 3rd quarter. Baugh & Associates LLC now owns 50,823 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,532,000 after purchasing an additional 4,541 shares during the period. Advisor Resource Council acquired a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $420,000. Financial Enhancement Group LLC grew its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 90.2% during the 3rd quarter. Financial Enhancement Group LLC now owns 81,948 shares of the company’s stock worth $9,512,000 after purchasing an additional 38,862 shares in the last quarter. Blake Schutter Theil Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the third quarter valued at $1,358,000. Finally, Forte Capital LLC ADV lifted its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 24.7% in the third quarter. Forte Capital LLC ADV now owns 22,885 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,599,000 after purchasing an additional 4,540 shares during the period. 76.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About Merck & Co., Inc.

(Get Free Report)

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 under the Keytruda, Bridion, Adempas, Lagevrio, Belsomra, Simponi, and Januvia brands, as well as vaccine products consisting of preventive pediatric, adolescent, and adult vaccines under the Gardasil/Gardasil 9, ProQuad, M-M-R II, Varivax, RotaTeq, Live Oral, Vaxneuvance, Pneumovax 23, and Vaqta names.

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