Flagship Harbor Advisors LLC Boosts Stake in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK)

Flagship Harbor Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 7.7% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 47,598 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 3,410 shares during the period. Flagship Harbor Advisors LLC’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $4,735,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in MRK. Dark Forest Capital Management LP acquired a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. in the 2nd quarter valued at $409,000. Texas Capital Bancshares Inc TX grew its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 45.4% in the 2nd quarter. Texas Capital Bancshares Inc TX now owns 3,657 shares of the company’s stock valued at $453,000 after acquiring an additional 1,142 shares during the last quarter. Kathmere Capital Management LLC grew its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 5.4% in the 2nd quarter. Kathmere Capital Management LLC now owns 20,607 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,551,000 after acquiring an additional 1,062 shares during the last quarter. Texas Capital Bank Wealth Management Services Inc purchased a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. in the 2nd quarter valued at about $237,000. Finally, SkyView Investment Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 35.3% in the 2nd quarter. SkyView Investment Advisors LLC now owns 10,498 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,300,000 after purchasing an additional 2,741 shares in the last quarter. 76.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Down 1.1 %

MRK opened at $95.54 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $241.69 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.03, a PEG ratio of 1.13 and a beta of 0.39. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.79, a current ratio of 1.36 and a quick ratio of 1.15. Merck & Co., Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $94.48 and a fifty-two week high of $134.63. The company’s 50-day moving average is $99.80 and its 200 day moving average is $108.81.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 31st. The company reported $1.57 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.50 by $0.07. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 19.23% and a return on equity of 36.42%. The firm had revenue of $16.66 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $16.47 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $2.13 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 4.4% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts expect that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 7.67 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 8th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 16th were paid a $0.81 dividend. This represents a $3.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.39%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 16th. This is a boost from Merck & Co., Inc.’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.77. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio is 67.92%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on MRK shares. Citigroup cut their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $140.00 to $130.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, October 25th. BMO Capital Markets downgraded shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating and lowered their price objective for the company from $136.00 to $105.00 in a research report on Friday, December 20th. Leerink Partners reduced their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $136.00 to $119.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, January 13th. Sanford C. Bernstein started coverage on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. They set a “market perform” rating and a $115.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Truist Financial reiterated a “hold” rating and set a $110.00 price objective (down previously from $130.00) on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and four have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $123.00.

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.