Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) Stock Position Decreased by Blue Bell Private Wealth Management LLC

Blue Bell Private Wealth Management LLC lessened its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 10.3% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 2,153 shares of the company’s stock after selling 246 shares during the period. Blue Bell Private Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $214,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the business. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC boosted its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 68.0% in the fourth quarter. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC now owns 114,258 shares of the company’s stock worth $11,458,000 after buying an additional 46,253 shares during the period. Callan Family Office LLC boosted its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 1,005.1% in the fourth quarter. Callan Family Office LLC now owns 51,951 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,168,000 after buying an additional 47,250 shares during the period. EagleClaw Capital Managment LLC boosted its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 4.9% in the fourth quarter. EagleClaw Capital Managment LLC now owns 30,818 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,066,000 after buying an additional 1,450 shares during the period. Chatham Capital Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 1.9% in the fourth quarter. Chatham Capital Group Inc. now owns 32,568 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,240,000 after buying an additional 612 shares during the period. Finally, E Fund Management Co. Ltd. boosted its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 66.4% in the fourth quarter. E Fund Management Co. Ltd. now owns 30,799 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,064,000 after buying an additional 12,289 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.07% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Merck & Co., Inc.

In other news, Director Inge G. Thulin bought 2,833 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 6th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $88.25 per share, with a total value of $250,012.25. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 2,933 shares in the company, valued at $258,837.25. This represents a 2,833.00 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Cristal N. Downing sold 2,361 shares of Merck & Co., Inc. stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $88.76, for a total value of $209,562.36. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 7,085 shares in the company, valued at approximately $628,864.60. This trade represents a 24.99 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.09% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have recently commented on the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut Merck & Co., Inc. from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and decreased their target price for the stock from $128.00 to $105.00 in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. Bank of America reduced their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $118.00 to $112.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, February 5th. Truist Financial reissued a “hold” rating and set a $110.00 price objective (down previously from $130.00) on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. Leerink Partners reduced their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $136.00 to $119.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, January 13th. Finally, UBS Group reduced their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $125.00 to $120.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have given a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and three have issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $116.39.

Merck & Co., Inc. Trading Up 0.8 %

Merck & Co., Inc. stock opened at $94.71 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.79, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a current ratio of 1.36. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $94.03 and its 200-day simple moving average is $102.74. The firm has a market capitalization of $239.25 billion, a PE ratio of 14.07, a PEG ratio of 0.77 and a beta of 0.38. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 52 week low of $81.04 and a 52 week high of $134.63.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 4th. The company reported $1.72 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.85 by ($0.13). The business had revenue of $15.62 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $15.51 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 45.35% and a net margin of 26.67%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.03 earnings per share. Equities research analysts forecast that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 earnings per share for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. announced that its board has authorized a share repurchase program on Tuesday, January 28th that permits the company to buyback $10.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the company to repurchase up to 4.1% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are typically an indication that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 7th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 17th will be paid a $0.81 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 17th. This represents a $3.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.42%. Merck & Co., Inc.’s payout ratio is presently 48.14%.

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.