Weaver Capital Management LLC Acquires 1,011 Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK)

Weaver Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 6.6% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 16,339 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,011 shares during the period. Weaver Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $1,625,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Groesbeck Investment Management Corp NJ boosted its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 23.5% during the fourth quarter. Groesbeck Investment Management Corp NJ now owns 9,235 shares of the company’s stock valued at $919,000 after purchasing an additional 1,755 shares in the last quarter. Hager Investment Management Services LLC bought a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. in the fourth quarter worth $1,522,000. Stratos Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.1% in the fourth quarter. Stratos Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 39,504 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,930,000 after acquiring an additional 814 shares in the last quarter. Paragon Capital Management Inc. bought a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. in the fourth quarter worth $1,490,000. Finally, Sargent Investment Group LLC boosted its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 51.2% in the fourth quarter. Sargent Investment Group LLC now owns 18,856 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,904,000 after acquiring an additional 6,386 shares in the last quarter. 76.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Down 8.8 %

Merck & Co., Inc. stock opened at $90.99 on Wednesday. The stock has a market cap of $230.16 billion, a PE ratio of 19.07, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.20 and a beta of 0.38. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.79, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a current ratio of 1.36. Merck & Co., Inc. has a one year low of $87.33 and a one year high of $134.63. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $99.80 and a 200 day moving average of $107.37.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The company reported $1.72 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.85 by ($0.13). Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 19.23% and a return on equity of 36.42%. The company had revenue of $15.62 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $15.51 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.03 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.8% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 7.62 EPS for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. announced that its board has initiated a stock buyback plan on Tuesday, January 28th that authorizes the company to buyback $10.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the company to buy up to 4.1% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are typically a sign that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 7th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 17th will be issued a dividend of $0.81 per share. This represents a $3.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.56%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 17th. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio is presently 67.92%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have commented on MRK shares. Bank of America reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $121.00 target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. Daiwa America downgraded Merck & Co., Inc. from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, November 11th. Truist Financial reissued a “hold” rating and issued a $110.00 target price (down from $130.00) on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Wolfe Research started coverage on Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Friday, November 15th. They issued a “peer perform” rating on the stock. Finally, Citigroup decreased their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $130.00 to $125.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 28th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and three have assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Merck & Co., Inc. has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $122.67.

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.