15,279 Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK Shares Bought by Provenance Wealth Advisors LLC

Provenance Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 997.3% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 16,811 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 15,279 shares during the period. Provenance Wealth Advisors LLC’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $2,443,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Hughes Financial Services LLC boosted its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 10.7% during the 3rd quarter. Hughes Financial Services LLC now owns 1,286 shares of the company’s stock worth $188,000 after acquiring an additional 124 shares during the last quarter. Integras Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $223,000. Lyell Wealth Management LP grew its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 4.4% during the 3rd quarter. Lyell Wealth Management LP now owns 11,294 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,641,000 after acquiring an additional 478 shares in the last quarter. Associated Banc Corp acquired a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the third quarter valued at approximately $12,956,000. Finally, Richwood Investment Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 1.2% in the third quarter. Richwood Investment Advisors LLC now owns 13,201 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,918,000 after purchasing an additional 156 shares during the last quarter. 76.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Merck & Co., Inc. news, EVP Chirfi Guindo sold 15,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $131.00, for a total value of $1,965,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 46,613 shares in the company, valued at $6,106,303. This trade represents a 24.35% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Jennifer Zachary sold 80,315 shares of Merck & Co., Inc. stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $133.46, for a total transaction of $10,718,839.90. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 45,509 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,073,631.14. This trade represents a 63.83% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 156,685 shares of company stock worth $20,764,839. Insiders own 0.17% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently commented on MRK shares. Barclays boosted their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $150.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, October 26th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $140.00 to $160.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, August 21st. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $142.00 to $170.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 20th. Citigroup boosted their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $125.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, October 12th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein increased their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $100.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 4th. Seventeen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $155.74.

Key Merck & Co., Inc. News

Here are the key news stories impacting Merck & Co., Inc. this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Merck began a Phase 3 trial of Ohtuvayre (ensifentrine) to assess whether it can prevent COPD exacerbations in higher-risk adults. A successful study could support the drug’s growth potential and broaden Merck’s pipeline. Merck initiates Phase 3 Ohtuvayre study
• Positive Sentiment: The U.S. FDA granted emergency-use authorization for a Merck treatment against screwworm in dogs, providing a near-term product opportunity. Reuters report on FDA authorization
• Neutral Sentiment: Merck’s pipeline is being viewed as a potential future growth driver, and its CEO has targeted $70 billion in revenue in the mid-2030s. However, the outlook depends on development and launch execution. Article on Merck’s pipeline and growth outlook
• Negative Sentiment: DZ Bank downgraded MRK from Buy to Hold, despite setting a $153 price target. The move adds to caution around the stock; commentary also points to the looming patent cliff as a key longer-term risk. DZ Bank rating change

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Down 2.6%

NYSE:MRK opened at $144.50 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $356.50 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 148.97, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.70 and a beta of 0.13. Merck & Co., Inc. has a twelve month low of $82.01 and a twelve month high of $156.92. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $146.70 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $127.06. The company has a quick ratio of 1.10, a current ratio of 1.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 29th. The company reported $2.49 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.09 by $0.40. The company had revenue of $18.09 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $17.33 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 16.56% and a net margin of 3.64%. The business’s revenue was up 4.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $2.58 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 2.87 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Company Profile

Merck & Co, Inc is a global healthcare company that develops, manufactures and markets prescription medicines, vaccines and animal-health products. Its pharmaceutical business focuses on oncology, infectious diseases, cardiology, immunology and other areas of significant medical need. The company serves patients, healthcare providers and institutions in markets worldwide.

Merck’s principal products include Keytruda, an immunotherapy used to treat a range of cancers; Gardasil and Gardasil 9, vaccines that help protect against human papillomavirus; and Januvia and Janumet, medicines used to manage type 2 diabetes.