Town & Country Bank & Trust CO dba First Bankers Trust CO Grows Position in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK)

Town & Country Bank & Trust CO dba First Bankers Trust CO raised its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 30.8% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 37,248 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 8,775 shares during the quarter. Merck & Co., Inc. makes up approximately 2.1% of Town & Country Bank & Trust CO dba First Bankers Trust CO’s portfolio, making the stock its 14th largest holding. Town & Country Bank & Trust CO dba First Bankers Trust CO’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $4,298,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in MRK. Janiczek Wealth Management LLC increased its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 4.2% during the second quarter. Janiczek Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,271 shares of the company’s stock valued at $494,000 after buying an additional 173 shares during the period. Brookstone Capital Management increased its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.6% during the second quarter. Brookstone Capital Management now owns 49,712 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,419,000 after buying an additional 290 shares during the period. Kathmere Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 9.4% during the second quarter. Kathmere Capital Management LLC now owns 17,462 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,015,000 after buying an additional 1,494 shares during the period. Gradient Investments LLC increased its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 3.6% during the second quarter. Gradient Investments LLC now owns 8,624 shares of the company’s stock valued at $995,000 after buying an additional 303 shares during the period. Finally, Sanders Morris Harris LLC bought a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the second quarter valued at about $673,000. 74.59% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Performance

Shares of MRK stock opened at $107.82 on Tuesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $273.60 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 88.38, a PEG ratio of 4.24 and a beta of 0.33. The company has a quick ratio of 1.03, a current ratio of 1.28 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.88. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $107.87 and a 200 day moving average of $110.39. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 52 week low of $84.52 and a 52 week high of $119.65.

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

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Steven Mizell sold 4,250 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $109.01, for a total value of $463,292.50. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 22,935 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,500,144.35. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.20% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on MRK shares. TheStreet cut Merck & Co., Inc. from an “a-” rating to a “c+” rating in a research report on Friday, September 1st. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective 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. Truist Financial upped their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $116.00 to $122.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 2nd. Cantor Fitzgerald restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $135.00 price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Tuesday, September 5th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets upped their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $102.00 to $113.00 in a research report on Tuesday, July 18th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $124.74.

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.