Stonebridge Financial Group LLC Acquires Shares of 40,979 Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK)

Stonebridge Financial Group LLC bought a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm bought 40,979 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,077,000.

Other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Essex Financial Services Inc. increased its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 4.3% during the 4th quarter. Essex Financial Services Inc. now owns 40,477 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,027,000 after acquiring an additional 1,660 shares in the last quarter. Mill Creek Capital Advisors LLC boosted its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 16.3% during the 4th quarter. Mill Creek Capital Advisors LLC now owns 11,426 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,137,000 after purchasing an additional 1,601 shares during the period. Focus Financial Network Inc. lifted its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 19.6% during the 4th quarter. Focus Financial Network Inc. now owns 13,498 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,354,000 after acquiring an additional 2,210 shares in the last quarter. Summit Trail Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 60.6% in the fourth quarter. Summit Trail Advisors LLC now owns 56,022 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,617,000 after purchasing an additional 21,148 shares during the period. Finally, Pineridge Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 517.7% during the fourth quarter. Pineridge Advisors LLC now owns 871 shares of the company’s stock worth $87,000 after acquiring an additional 730 shares during the last quarter. 76.07% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Merck & Co., Inc. Price Performance

NYSE MRK opened at $86.52 on Tuesday. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 1 year low of $86.27 and a 1 year high of $134.63. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $98.72 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $106.34. The company has a market cap of $218.86 billion, a PE ratio of 12.86, a PEG ratio of 0.83 and a beta of 0.38. 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 quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The company reported $1.72 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.85 by ($0.13). Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 26.67% and a return on equity of 45.35%. The firm had revenue of $15.62 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $15.51 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.03 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 6.8% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts predict that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 EPS for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 7th. Investors of record on Monday, March 17th will be paid a $0.81 dividend. This represents a $3.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.74%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 17th. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio is currently 48.14%.

Merck & Co., Inc. announced that its board has initiated a share buyback plan on Tuesday, January 28th that allows the company to repurchase $10.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the company to purchase up to 4.1% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are usually a sign that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have recently commented on MRK. Wolfe Research initiated coverage on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Friday, November 15th. They set a “peer perform” rating on the stock. Hsbc Global Res raised shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 4th. Daiwa America lowered shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, November 11th. Citigroup dropped their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $125.00 to $115.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein assumed coverage on Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. They issued a “market perform” rating and a $115.00 target price for the company. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and three have assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $117.94.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Inge G. Thulin bought 2,833 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 6th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $88.25 per share, with a total value of $250,012.25. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 2,933 shares in the company, valued at approximately $258,837.25. This trade represents a 2,833.00 % increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Cristal N. Downing sold 2,361 shares of Merck & Co., Inc. stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $88.76, for a total value of $209,562.36. Following the sale, the insider now owns 7,085 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $628,864.60. This represents a 24.99 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.09% of the company’s stock.

About Merck & Co., Inc.

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.