Diamant Asset Management Inc. Increases Position in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK)

Diamant Asset Management Inc. boosted its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 2.0% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 23,262 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 450 shares during the period. Merck & Co., Inc. accounts for approximately 1.5% of Diamant Asset Management Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 17th biggest position. Diamant Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $2,314,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the business. Altus Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.6% during the 4th quarter. Altus Wealth Management LLC now owns 6,543 shares of the company’s stock valued at $651,000 after purchasing an additional 165 shares during the period. Berkshire Bank lifted its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.9% in the fourth quarter. Berkshire Bank now owns 32,831 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,266,000 after buying an additional 916 shares in the last quarter. Lebenthal Global Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 24.0% during the fourth quarter. Lebenthal Global Advisors LLC now owns 19,842 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,974,000 after acquiring an additional 3,838 shares during the last quarter. Baldwin Wealth Partners LLC MA grew its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 4.0% during the fourth quarter. Baldwin Wealth Partners LLC MA now owns 196,756 shares of the company’s stock valued at $19,573,000 after acquiring an additional 7,636 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Foundations Investment Advisors LLC grew its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 22.7% during the fourth quarter. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC now owns 73,061 shares of the company’s stock valued at $7,268,000 after acquiring an additional 13,540 shares in the last quarter. 76.07% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Merck & Co., Inc. Trading Up 2.5 %

NYSE MRK opened at $97.99 on Tuesday. The stock has a market cap of $247.87 billion, a PE ratio of 20.54, a PEG ratio of 1.13 and a beta of 0.39. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 12 month low of $94.48 and a 12 month high of $134.63. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $99.80 and its 200-day moving average price is $108.56. The company has a current ratio of 1.36, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.79.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The company reported $1.57 EPS 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 business had revenue of $16.66 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $16.47 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.13 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts forecast that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 7.67 earnings per share for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 8th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 16th were issued a $0.81 dividend. This represents a $3.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.31%. This is a boost from Merck & Co., Inc.’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.77. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 16th. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio is currently 67.92%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MRK has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $125.00 to $110.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, November 1st. BMO Capital Markets downgraded Merck & Co., Inc. from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating and reduced their price objective for the stock from $136.00 to $105.00 in a research note on Friday, December 20th. Barclays lowered their target price 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. Guggenheim reduced their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $137.00 to $130.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, November 6th. Finally, Wolfe Research started coverage on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Friday, November 15th. They set a “peer perform” rating for the company. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and four have issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target 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.