Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) Shares Sold by Hantz Financial Services Inc.

Hantz Financial Services Inc. trimmed its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 4.8% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 136,695 shares of the company’s stock after selling 6,897 shares during the period. Hantz Financial Services Inc.’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $13,598,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Algert Global LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $325,000. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. increased its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 3.0% in the second quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 312,252 shares of the company’s stock valued at $38,657,000 after buying an additional 9,174 shares in the last quarter. Invst LLC raised its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 5.4% during the 2nd quarter. Invst LLC now owns 3,382 shares of the company’s stock worth $433,000 after buying an additional 174 shares during the last quarter. Quarry LP purchased a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the 2nd quarter worth about $42,000. Finally, Regal Investment Advisors LLC grew its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.9% in the 2nd quarter. Regal Investment Advisors LLC now owns 13,014 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,611,000 after acquiring an additional 113 shares during the last quarter. 76.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MRK has been the topic of several recent research reports. Guggenheim reduced their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $137.00 to $130.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, November 6th. Barclays lowered their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $142.00 to $140.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, October 7th. Cantor Fitzgerald reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $155.00 price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Thursday, October 3rd. Wolfe Research assumed coverage on Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Friday, November 15th. They set a “peer perform” rating on the stock. Finally, UBS Group cut their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $125.00 to $120.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and four have given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Merck & Co., Inc. presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $122.67.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Down 0.5 %

Shares of NYSE MRK opened at $97.49 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.15, a current ratio of 1.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.79. The stock has a market capitalization of $246.62 billion, a PE ratio of 20.44, a P/E/G ratio of 1.13 and a beta of 0.39. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $99.85 and a 200-day moving average of $108.13. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 52-week low of $94.48 and a 52-week high of $134.63.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The company reported $1.57 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.50 by $0.07. The firm had revenue of $16.66 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $16.47 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 36.42% and a net margin of 19.23%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 4.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $2.13 earnings per share. On average, analysts anticipate that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 7.67 EPS for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. declared that its board has authorized a stock buyback plan on Tuesday, January 28th that allows the company to buyback $10.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the company to reacquire up to 4.1% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are generally a sign that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 7th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 17th will be paid a dividend of $0.81 per share. This represents a $3.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.32%. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio is currently 67.92%.

About Merck & Co., Inc.

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.