Merck & Co., Inc. Plans Quarterly Dividend of $0.85 (NYSE:MRK)

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) announced a quarterly dividend on Tuesday, January 27th. Investors of record on Monday, March 16th will be paid a dividend of 0.85 per share on Tuesday, April 7th. This represents a c) dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.2%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 16th.

Merck & Co., Inc. has raised its dividend payment by an average of 0.1%annually over the last three years and has raised its dividend every year for the last 14 years. Merck & Co., Inc. has a dividend payout ratio of 35.0% indicating that its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Equities analysts expect Merck & Co., Inc. to earn $9.90 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $3.40 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 34.3%.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Performance

NYSE:MRK traded down $0.96 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $106.96. 2,513,012 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 11,921,132. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $104.45 and a 200-day simple moving average of $91.46. The stock has a market capitalization of $265.48 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.13, a P/E/G ratio of 1.35 and a beta of 0.29. The company has a quick ratio of 1.44, a current ratio of 1.66 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 1 year low of $73.31 and a 1 year high of $112.90.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 3rd. The company reported $1.94 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.08 by ($0.14). Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 29.63% and a return on equity of 44.54%. Analysts anticipate that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Company Profile

Merck & Co, Inc is a global biopharmaceutical company engaged in the discovery, development, manufacture and marketing of prescription medicines, vaccines, biologic therapies and animal health products. Its portfolio spans multiple therapeutic areas with a particular emphasis on oncology, vaccines and infectious disease, as well as therapies for metabolic and chronic conditions. Among its well-known products are the cancer immunotherapy Keytruda (pembrolizumab) and the human papillomavirus vaccine Gardasil; the company also markets a range of medicines and vaccines for veterinary use through Merck Animal Health.

Founded in the late 19th century as the U.S.