Kennebec Savings Bank Has $1.55 Million Stock Holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK)

Kennebec Savings Bank boosted its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 8.2% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 15,317 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,156 shares during the period. Merck & Co., Inc. accounts for 1.6% of Kennebec Savings Bank’s holdings, making the stock its 13th biggest position. Kennebec Savings Bank’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $1,547,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Hunter Associates Investment Management LLC boosted its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 1.4% during the 4th quarter. Hunter Associates Investment Management LLC now owns 11,498 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,144,000 after buying an additional 154 shares during the period. Hartford Financial Management Inc. boosted its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 1.8% in the fourth quarter. Hartford Financial Management Inc. now owns 21,098 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,099,000 after acquiring an additional 370 shares during the last quarter. Sonora Investment Management Group LLC lifted its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 1.9% in the fourth quarter. Sonora Investment Management Group LLC now owns 174,710 shares of the company’s stock valued at $17,380,000 after purchasing an additional 3,182 shares during the last quarter. Kempner Capital Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the fourth quarter worth about $2,981,000. Finally, Oak Harvest Investment Services raised its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 14.6% in the fourth quarter. Oak Harvest Investment Services now owns 48,729 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,848,000 after purchasing an additional 6,190 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.07% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MRK has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Daiwa Capital Markets downgraded Merck & Co., Inc. from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, November 11th. Truist Financial reiterated a “hold” rating and issued a $110.00 target price (down previously from $130.00) on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. Morgan Stanley dropped their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $123.00 to $113.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 21st. Daiwa America lowered Merck & Co., Inc. from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, November 11th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $125.00 to $110.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, November 1st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and four have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $122.67.

Merck & Co., Inc. Trading Up 0.6 %

Shares of MRK stock opened at $98.91 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.15, a current ratio of 1.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.79. The business’s 50 day moving average is $99.86 and its two-hundred day moving average is $108.06. The company has a market cap of $250.21 billion, a PE ratio of 20.74, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.18 and a beta of 0.39. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 12 month low of $94.48 and a 12 month high of $134.63.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 31st. The company reported $1.57 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.50 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $16.66 billion for 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%. Merck & Co., Inc.’s quarterly revenue was up 4.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $2.13 earnings per share. Equities analysts predict that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 7.64 EPS for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 7th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 17th will be given a dividend of $0.81 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 17th. This represents a $3.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.28%. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 67.92%.

Merck & Co., Inc. announced that its board has authorized a stock repurchase plan on Tuesday, January 28th that allows the company to repurchase $10.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the company to purchase up to 4.1% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are typically a sign that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Merck & Co., Inc. Company 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.