Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) Stock Holdings Lifted by Monarch Capital Management Inc.

Monarch Capital Management Inc. lifted its position in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 0.5% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 116,909 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 597 shares during the quarter. Merck & Co., Inc. makes up about 3.2% of Monarch Capital Management Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 5th biggest holding. Monarch Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $11,701,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MRK. IAM Advisory LLC raised its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.1% during the fourth quarter. IAM Advisory LLC now owns 17,800 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,771,000 after buying an additional 374 shares during the period. Kera Capital Partners Inc. purchased a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. during the 4th quarter valued at about $355,000. Financial Management Professionals Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 9.5% in the 4th quarter. Financial Management Professionals Inc. now owns 3,824 shares of the company’s stock valued at $380,000 after purchasing an additional 333 shares during the period. HB Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 4.3% in the fourth quarter. HB Wealth Management LLC now owns 154,176 shares of the company’s stock worth $15,334,000 after purchasing an additional 6,405 shares in the last quarter. Finally, CGN Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.4% during the fourth quarter. CGN Advisors LLC now owns 26,969 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,683,000 after purchasing an additional 102 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.07% of the company’s stock.

Merck & Co., Inc. Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:MRK opened at $98.00 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $247.91 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.55, a PEG ratio of 1.17 and a beta of 0.39. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $100.01 and a 200 day moving average price of $109.85. The company has a quick ratio of 1.15, a current ratio of 1.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.79. Merck & Co., Inc. has a twelve month low of $94.48 and a twelve month high of $134.63.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 31st. The company reported $1.57 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.50 by $0.07. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 36.42% and a net margin of 19.23%. The company had revenue of $16.66 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $16.47 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $2.13 earnings per share. Merck & Co., Inc.’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts predict that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 7.7 earnings per share for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 8th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 16th were given a dividend of $0.81 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 16th. This represents a $3.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.31%. This is a positive change from Merck & Co., Inc.’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.77. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio is currently 67.92%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on MRK shares. Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $155.00 target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Thursday, October 3rd. Daiwa Capital Markets lowered Merck & Co., Inc. from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, November 11th. UBS Group lowered their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $125.00 to $120.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. Sanford C. Bernstein assumed coverage on Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. They set a “market perform” rating and a $115.00 price target for the company. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $125.00 to $110.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, November 1st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and four have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $123.67.

Merck & Co., Inc. Profile

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.