Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) Given Consensus Rating of “Hold” by Analysts

Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) have been assigned a consensus rating of “Hold” from the seventeen brokerages that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company. The average 1 year price objective among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $114.5333.

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. TD Cowen raised their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $100.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 20th. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded Merck & Co., Inc. from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and raised their target price for the company from $90.00 to $125.00 in a research report on Monday, November 24th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $110.00 to $111.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 18th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $92.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 2nd. Finally, Citigroup lifted their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $110.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 27th.

Institutional Trading of Merck & Co., Inc.

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Darwin Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 237.4% during the 3rd quarter. Darwin Wealth Management LLC now owns 307 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 216 shares during the period. Kilter Group LLC acquired a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. during the second quarter worth $27,000. Barnes Dennig Private Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 302.3% during the third quarter. Barnes Dennig Private Wealth Management LLC now owns 354 shares of the company’s stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 266 shares during the period. Bare Financial Services Inc boosted its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 51.9% during the second quarter. Bare Financial Services Inc now owns 366 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 125 shares during the period. Finally, United Financial Planning Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the third quarter valued at $31,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.07% of the company’s stock.

Merck & Co., Inc. Trading Up 2.9%

Shares of MRK stock opened at $113.44 on Thursday. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 1-year low of $73.31 and a 1-year high of $113.89. The company has a market cap of $281.56 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.99, a PEG ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 0.28. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77, a current ratio of 1.66 and a quick ratio of 1.44. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $105.46 and a 200-day simple moving average of $92.23.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 3rd. The company reported $1.94 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.08 by ($0.14). Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 44.54% and a net margin of 29.63%. On average, equities research analysts expect that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 7th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 16th will be issued a $0.85 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 16th. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.0%. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio is presently 44.91%.

About Merck & Co., Inc.

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.