Mariner LLC Boosts Holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK)

Mariner LLC boosted its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 7.3% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 1,795,029 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 121,709 shares during the quarter. Mariner LLC owned approximately 0.07% of Merck & Co., Inc. worth $178,542,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in MRK. Barr E S & Co. grew its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 24.3% during the fourth quarter. Barr E S & Co. now owns 8,183 shares of the company’s stock valued at $814,000 after acquiring an additional 1,600 shares in the last quarter. SageView Advisory Group LLC grew its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 22.3% during the fourth quarter. SageView Advisory Group LLC now owns 24,353 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,423,000 after purchasing an additional 4,444 shares in the last quarter. 3Chopt Investment Partners LLC increased its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 5.6% in the fourth quarter. 3Chopt Investment Partners LLC now owns 37,131 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,723,000 after purchasing an additional 1,969 shares during the last quarter. Keystone Financial Group lifted its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.9% in the fourth quarter. Keystone Financial Group now owns 27,242 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,696,000 after buying an additional 234 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Savvy Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.7% during the fourth quarter. Savvy Advisors Inc. now owns 7,343 shares of the company’s stock valued at $730,000 after buying an additional 195 shares during the last quarter. 76.07% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Up 2.1 %

Shares of MRK opened at $79.14 on Monday. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $88.43 and a 200-day moving average price of $97.28. The company has a current ratio of 1.36, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.79. The firm has a market capitalization of $199.91 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.76, a P/E/G ratio of 0.77 and a beta of 0.40. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 12-month low of $75.96 and a 12-month high of $134.63.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 4th. The company reported $1.72 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.85 by ($0.13). The company had revenue of $15.62 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $15.51 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 26.67% and a return on equity of 45.35%. Merck & Co., Inc.’s quarterly revenue was up 6.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.03 earnings per share. Equities research analysts expect that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 earnings per share for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, April 7th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 17th were issued a dividend of $0.81 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 17th. This represents a $3.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.09%. Merck & Co., Inc.’s payout ratio is currently 48.14%.

Merck & Co., Inc. announced that its board has authorized a share repurchase program on Tuesday, January 28th that authorizes the company to buyback $10.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the company to reacquire up to 4.1% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are usually an indication that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Guggenheim decreased their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $122.00 to $115.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Bank of America decreased their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $118.00 to $112.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. Truist Financial reissued a “hold” rating and issued a $110.00 price objective (down from $130.00) on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. Leerink Partners decreased their target price 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. Finally, Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $113.00 to $106.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, February 5th. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have issued a buy rating and three have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Merck & Co., Inc. currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $115.50.

Insider Buying and Selling at Merck & Co., Inc.

In other news, insider Cristal N. Downing sold 2,361 shares of the business’s 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 completion of the sale, the insider now owns 7,085 shares in the company, valued at approximately $628,864.60. The trade was a 24.99 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Inge G. Thulin purchased 2,833 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 6th. The stock was acquired 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 disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 0.09% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.