Peoples Financial Services CORP. Has $2.53 Million Stock Holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK)

Peoples Financial Services CORP. trimmed its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 0.9% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 21,894 shares of the company’s stock after selling 189 shares during the quarter. Merck & Co., Inc. accounts for 1.1% of Peoples Financial Services CORP.’s portfolio, making the stock its 24th largest holding. Peoples Financial Services CORP.’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $2,526,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Financial Gravity Asset Management Inc. increased its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 163.1% during the first quarter. Financial Gravity Asset Management Inc. now owns 292 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,718,000 after purchasing an additional 181 shares during the period. Kepos Capital LP acquired a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. in the fourth quarter worth about $36,000. Ruedi Wealth Management Inc. bought a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. during the fourth quarter worth about $39,000. Front Row Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 36.0% during the first quarter. Front Row Advisors LLC now owns 363 shares of the company’s stock valued at $39,000 after purchasing an additional 96 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Kalos Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $64,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.59% of the company’s stock.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Down 0.7 %

Shares of NYSE:MRK opened at $107.52 on Monday. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $107.87 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $110.39. The company has a market capitalization of $272.83 billion, a PE ratio of 88.13, a PEG ratio of 4.27 and a beta of 0.33. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 52 week low of $84.52 and a 52 week high of $119.65. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.88, a quick ratio of 1.03 and a current ratio of 1.28.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, August 1st. The company reported ($2.06) earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($2.18) by $0.12. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 16.29% and a net margin of 5.34%. The firm had revenue of $15.04 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $14.44 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.87 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.0% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts forecast that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 3.03 earnings per share for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, October 6th. Shareholders of record on Friday, September 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.73 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, September 14th. This represents a $2.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.72%. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 239.34%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts recently commented on MRK shares. Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $135.00 price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Tuesday, September 5th. BMO Capital Markets upped their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $102.00 to $113.00 in a report on Tuesday, July 18th. TheStreet lowered shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from an “a-” rating to a “c+” rating in a research report on Friday, September 1st. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $109.00 to $116.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 2nd. Finally, StockNews.com cut Merck & Co., Inc. from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, August 31st. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $124.74.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Steven Mizell sold 4,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $105.49, for a total value of $474,705.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 27,185 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,867,745.65. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.20% of the company’s stock.

About Merck & Co., Inc.

Merck & Co, Inc operates as a healthcare company worldwide. It operates through two segments, Pharmaceutical and Animal Health. The Pharmaceutical segment offers human health pharmaceutical products in the areas of oncology, hospital acute care, immunology, neuroscience, virology, cardiovascular, and diabetes, as well as vaccine products, such as preventive pediatric, adolescent, and adult vaccines.