Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) Shares Acquired by Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp

Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp boosted its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 6.1% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 107,744 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 6,154 shares during the quarter. Merck & Co., Inc. accounts for 1.2% of Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp’s holdings, making the stock its 13th largest position. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $12,433,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Toth Financial Advisory Corp increased its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 8.3% in the 1st quarter. Toth Financial Advisory Corp now owns 1,134 shares of the company’s stock worth $121,000 after acquiring an additional 87 shares in the last quarter. Cora Capital Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.1% in the first quarter. Cora Capital Advisors LLC now owns 4,368 shares of the company’s stock worth $465,000 after purchasing an additional 90 shares in the last quarter. Wahed Invest LLC raised its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.3% during the 1st quarter. Wahed Invest LLC now owns 32,439 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,451,000 after purchasing an additional 91 shares during the period. Veracity Capital LLC lifted its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 1.9% during the 1st quarter. Veracity Capital LLC now owns 4,892 shares of the company’s stock valued at $520,000 after buying an additional 92 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Greystone Financial Group LLC boosted its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 1.3% in the 1st quarter. Greystone Financial Group LLC now owns 7,097 shares of the company’s stock worth $755,000 after buying an additional 92 shares during the period. 74.59% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Merck & Co., Inc. Price Performance

Shares of MRK opened at $107.82 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.88, a quick ratio of 1.03 and a current ratio of 1.28. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $107.87 and a 200-day moving average price of $110.39. Merck & Co., Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $84.52 and a fifty-two week high of $119.65. The stock has a market capitalization of $273.60 billion, a PE ratio of 88.38, a PEG ratio of 4.24 and a beta of 0.33.

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 analysts’ consensus estimates 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 company had revenue of $15.04 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $14.44 billion. Merck & Co., Inc.’s revenue was up 3.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.87 earnings per share. Equities analysts predict that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 3.03 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, October 6th. Stockholders of record on Friday, September 15th will be issued a $0.73 dividend. This represents a $2.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.71%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, September 14th. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio is currently 239.34%.

Insider Transactions at Merck & Co., Inc.

In related news, EVP Steven Mizell sold 4,250 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $109.01, for a total transaction of $463,292.50. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 22,935 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,500,144.35. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.20% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MRK has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $135.00 target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Tuesday, September 5th. BMO Capital Markets increased their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $102.00 to $113.00 in a research note on Tuesday, July 18th. Truist Financial raised their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $116.00 to $122.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 2nd. TheStreet downgraded shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from an “a-” rating to a “c+” rating in a research note on Friday, September 1st. Finally, StockNews.com cut shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 31st. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $124.74.

Merck & Co., Inc. Company Profile

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.