Juncture Wealth Strategies LLC Buys New Position in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK)

Juncture Wealth Strategies LLC purchased a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 1,761 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $203,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Financial Gravity Asset Management Inc. grew its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 163.1% during the first quarter. Financial Gravity Asset Management Inc. now owns 292 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,718,000 after acquiring an additional 181 shares during the period. Kepos Capital LP acquired a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the fourth quarter worth about $36,000. Ruedi Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the fourth quarter worth about $39,000. Front Row Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of 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 buying an additional 96 shares during the period. Finally, Kalos Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the first quarter valued at about $64,000. 74.59% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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 company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.88, a current ratio of 1.28 and a quick ratio of 1.03. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $107.87 and a 200 day moving average price of $110.39. The company has a market cap of $273.60 billion, a P/E ratio of 88.38, a PEG ratio of 4.24 and a beta of 0.33.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last posted its earnings results 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 firm had revenue of $15.04 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $14.44 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 5.34% and a return on equity of 16.29%. Merck & Co., Inc.’s revenue was up 3.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.87 EPS. On average, research analysts forecast that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 3.03 earnings per share for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, October 6th. Shareholders 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%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have weighed in on MRK. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $109.00 to $116.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 2nd. HSBC began coverage on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Friday, July 14th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $123.00 target price for the company. Truist Financial lifted their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $116.00 to $122.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 2nd. Cantor Fitzgerald reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $135.00 price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Tuesday, September 5th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered Merck & Co., Inc. from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 31st. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Merck & Co., Inc. presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $124.74.

Insider Transactions 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 shares were sold at an average price of $109.01, for a total transaction of $463,292.50. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 22,935 shares in the company, valued at $2,500,144.35. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.20% of the company’s stock.

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.