Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) Stock Holdings Cut by Zacks Investment Management

Zacks Investment Management cut its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 18.2% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 974,458 shares of the company’s stock after selling 217,260 shares during the quarter. Merck & Co., Inc. accounts for 0.9% of Zacks Investment Management’s portfolio, making the stock its 27th largest position. Zacks Investment Management’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $96,939,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of MRK. NewEdge Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 4.3% in the fourth quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 410,723 shares of the company’s stock valued at $40,859,000 after buying an additional 16,837 shares during the period. Stenger Family Office LLC acquired a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. during the 4th quarter worth about $298,000. Evergreen Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 60.4% in the fourth quarter. Evergreen Capital Management LLC now owns 111,380 shares of the company’s stock valued at $11,169,000 after purchasing an additional 41,947 shares in the last quarter. Operose Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 181.0% during the fourth quarter. Operose Advisors LLC now owns 3,937 shares of the company’s stock valued at $392,000 after acquiring an additional 2,536 shares during the period. Finally, Gabelli Funds LLC raised its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 5.7% in the fourth quarter. Gabelli Funds LLC now owns 354,205 shares of the company’s stock worth $35,236,000 after purchasing an additional 19,084 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.07% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have weighed in on MRK. Citigroup decreased their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $125.00 to $115.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. UBS Group dropped their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $125.00 to $120.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. Leerink Partners decreased their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $136.00 to $119.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, January 13th. TD Securities lowered Merck & Co., Inc. from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and reduced their price objective for the stock from $121.00 to $100.00 in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Finally, Bank of America lowered their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $118.00 to $112.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. Eleven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have issued a buy rating and three have given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $115.50.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Performance

MRK opened at $78.28 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $197.75 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.63, a price-to-earnings-growth 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. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $88.03 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $96.91. The company has a quick ratio of 1.15, a current ratio of 1.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.79.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The company reported $1.72 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.85 by ($0.13). The business had revenue of $15.62 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $15.51 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 26.67% and a return on equity of 45.35%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.03 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts forecast that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 earnings per share for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, April 7th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 17th were paid a $0.81 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 17th. This represents a $3.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.14%. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 48.14%.

Merck & Co., Inc. announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock repurchase program on Tuesday, January 28th that allows the company to repurchase $10.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the company to buy up to 4.1% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are often a sign that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Merck & Co., Inc. Company 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.