Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) Stake Lessened by Jeppson Wealth Management LLC

Jeppson Wealth Management LLC decreased its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 2.0% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 23,236 shares of the company’s stock after selling 480 shares during the period. Merck & Co., Inc. accounts for about 0.8% of Jeppson Wealth Management LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 27th largest holding. Jeppson Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $2,312,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Algert Global LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the second quarter valued at $325,000. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. raised its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 3.0% in the second quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 312,252 shares of the company’s stock worth $38,657,000 after acquiring an additional 9,174 shares in the last quarter. Granite FO LLC acquired a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. in the 2nd quarter valued at about $292,000. Sunbelt Securities Inc. boosted its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.3% during the 2nd quarter. Sunbelt Securities Inc. now owns 53,665 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,644,000 after purchasing an additional 170 shares in the last quarter. Finally, William B. Walkup & Associates Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $3,330,000. 76.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently commented on MRK shares. Hsbc Global Res raised shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 4th. Wolfe Research started coverage on Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Friday, November 15th. They set a “peer perform” rating for the company. UBS Group decreased their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $125.00 to $120.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Citigroup reduced their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $130.00 to $125.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $125.00 to $110.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, November 1st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and four have issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $122.67.

Merck & Co., Inc. Price Performance

NYSE MRK opened at $97.99 on Tuesday. The company has a market cap of $247.87 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.54, a P/E/G ratio of 1.13 and a beta of 0.39. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $99.80 and a 200 day simple moving average of $108.56. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 1 year low of $94.48 and a 1 year high of $134.63. The company has a current ratio of 1.36, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.79.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The company reported $1.57 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.50 by $0.07. The firm had revenue of $16.66 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $16.47 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 36.42% and a net margin of 19.23%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $2.13 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 7.67 EPS for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 8th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 16th were paid a $0.81 dividend. This represents a $3.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.31%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 16th. This is an increase from Merck & Co., Inc.’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.77. Merck & Co., Inc.’s payout ratio is currently 67.92%.

Merck & Co., Inc. 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.