Rathbones Group PLC Decreases Stock Holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Rathbones Group PLC reduced its position in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 14.7% during the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 222,240 shares of the company’s stock after selling 38,250 shares during the period. Rathbones Group PLC’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $26,733,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of MRK. Kingdom Financial Group LLC. purchased a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Prosperity Bancshares Inc acquired a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. during the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. Abound Financial LLC purchased a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. in the fourth quarter valued at about $26,000. IFC & Insurance Marketing Inc. purchased a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. in the fourth quarter valued at about $31,000. Finally, High Note Wealth LLC boosted its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 58.9% in the fourth quarter. High Note Wealth LLC now owns 294 shares of the company’s stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 109 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.07% of the company’s stock.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Down 1.9%

Merck & Co., Inc. stock opened at $127.72 on Tuesday. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $123.28 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $118.66. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.02, a quick ratio of 1.06 and a current ratio of 1.30. The company has a market cap of $315.45 billion, a PE ratio of 35.98, a PEG ratio of 5.17 and a beta of 0.19. Merck & Co., Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $77.58 and a fifty-two week high of $135.05.

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 7th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 15th will be issued a $0.85 dividend. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.7%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 15th. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio is 95.77%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Bank of America boosted their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $130.00 to $141.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 30th. Guggenheim increased their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $140.00 to $145.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, July 13th. UBS Group lifted their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $130.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, April 13th. Barclays boosted their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $140.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. Finally, Scotiabank upped their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $136.00 to $155.00 and gave the company a “sector outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 30th. Thirteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $134.50.

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.