Stokes Capital Advisors LLC Has $3.61 Million Position in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK)

Stokes Capital Advisors LLC decreased its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 4.3% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 31,298 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,397 shares during the period. Stokes Capital Advisors LLC’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $3,611,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in MRK. Kepos Capital LP bought a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. in the 4th quarter valued at about $36,000. Ruedi Wealth Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $39,000. Front Row Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of 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 buying an additional 96 shares during the last quarter. Kalos Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the first quarter valued at approximately $64,000. Finally, Financial Connections Group Inc. grew its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 47.1% during the fourth quarter. Financial Connections Group Inc. now owns 718 shares of the company’s stock worth $79,000 after buying an additional 230 shares in the last quarter. 74.59% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Up 0.3 %

Merck & Co., Inc. stock opened at $107.82 on Tuesday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $107.87 and a 200 day simple moving average of $110.39. The company has a current ratio of 1.28, a quick ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.88. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 1-year low of $84.52 and a 1-year high of $119.65. The firm has a market capitalization of $273.60 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 88.38, a P/E/G ratio of 4.24 and a beta of 0.33.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, August 1st. The company reported ($2.06) EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($2.18) by $0.12. The business had revenue of $15.04 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $14.44 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 16.29% and a net margin of 5.34%. The firm’s revenue was up 3.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.87 EPS. On average, analysts predict that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 3.03 earnings per share for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MRK has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, August 31st. TheStreet cut shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from an “a-” rating to a “c+” rating in a report on Friday, September 1st. BMO Capital Markets increased their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $102.00 to $113.00 in a research note on Tuesday, July 18th. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $109.00 to $116.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 2nd. Finally, HSBC began coverage on Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Friday, July 14th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $123.00 target price for the company. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $124.74.

Insider Activity

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