Avitas Wealth Management LLC Lowers Holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK)

Avitas Wealth Management LLC lowered its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK – Get Rating) by 1.6% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 45,376 shares of the company’s stock after selling 724 shares during the period. Merck & Co., Inc. accounts for about 1.1% of Avitas Wealth Management LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 25th biggest holding. Avitas Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $5,034,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of MRK. ICA Group Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.7% during the third quarter. ICA Group Wealth Management LLC now owns 14,251 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,227,000 after purchasing an additional 99 shares in the last quarter. Cortland Associates Inc. MO raised its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 1.5% during the 3rd quarter. Cortland Associates Inc. MO now owns 6,730 shares of the company’s stock worth $580,000 after buying an additional 101 shares in the last quarter. Family Management Corp lifted its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 3.4% in the 3rd quarter. Family Management Corp now owns 3,103 shares of the company’s stock valued at $267,000 after buying an additional 101 shares during the period. Nicolet Advisory Services LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 1.1% in the 3rd quarter. Nicolet Advisory Services LLC now owns 10,027 shares of the company’s stock valued at $907,000 after buying an additional 106 shares during the period. Finally, Janney Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.8% in the third quarter. Janney Capital Management LLC now owns 14,239 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,226,000 after buying an additional 109 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 72.89% of the company’s stock.

Merck & Co., Inc. Price Performance

NYSE:MRK opened at $104.10 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $264.27 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.23, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.95 and a beta of 0.34. The company has a current ratio of 1.47, a quick ratio of 1.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62. The company’s 50-day moving average is $108.19 and its two-hundred day moving average is $102.15. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 12-month low of $78.63 and a 12-month high of $115.49.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK – Get Rating) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 2nd. The company reported $1.62 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.56 by $0.06. The company had revenue of $13.83 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $13.66 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 24.49% and a return on equity of 43.47%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 2.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.80 EPS. Research analysts expect that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 6.88 EPS for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 10th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, March 15th will be issued a $0.73 dividend. This represents a $2.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.80%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 14th. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 51.14%.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Sanat Chattopadhyay sold 83,994 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, January 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $112.29, for a total value of $9,431,686.26. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 29,500 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,312,555. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. In related news, insider Joseph Romanelli sold 5,000 shares of Merck & Co., Inc. stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $108.22, for a total value of $541,100.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 20,284 shares in the company, valued at $2,195,134.48. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Sanat Chattopadhyay sold 83,994 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, January 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $112.29, for a total value of $9,431,686.26. Following the sale, the insider now owns 29,500 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,312,555. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 100,245 shares of company stock valued at $11,168,256 in the last 90 days. 0.29% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have commented on the company. Berenberg Bank raised their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $125.00 to $130.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, March 10th. Mizuho restated a “buy” rating and set a $130.00 target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Friday. Cantor Fitzgerald boosted their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $120.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, December 19th. Atlantic Securities boosted their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $122.00 to $127.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 7th. Finally, Credit Suisse Group boosted their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $125.00 to $126.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 7th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $119.35.

Merck & Co., Inc. Company Profile

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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.