Measured Wealth Private Client Group LLC Sells 493 Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK)

Measured Wealth Private Client Group LLC lessened its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 12.0% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 3,616 shares of the company’s stock after selling 493 shares during the period. Measured Wealth Private Client Group LLC’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $360,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Oakworth Capital Inc. grew its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 11.1% during the 4th quarter. Oakworth Capital Inc. now owns 23,132 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,301,000 after acquiring an additional 2,316 shares during the period. Argus Investors Counsel Inc. boosted its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 52.4% during the 4th quarter. Argus Investors Counsel Inc. now owns 3,189 shares of the company’s stock valued at $317,000 after purchasing an additional 1,097 shares in the last quarter. Buck Wealth Strategies LLC grew its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 69.6% during the fourth quarter. Buck Wealth Strategies LLC now owns 89,487 shares of the company’s stock worth $8,902,000 after purchasing an additional 36,715 shares during the period. Silver Oak Securities Incorporated grew its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 33.3% during the fourth quarter. Silver Oak Securities Incorporated now owns 12,022 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,183,000 after purchasing an additional 3,002 shares during the period. Finally, Beacon Financial Advisory LLC increased its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 7.9% in the fourth quarter. Beacon Financial Advisory LLC now owns 5,474 shares of the company’s stock worth $545,000 after purchasing an additional 403 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.07% of the company’s stock.

Merck & Co., Inc. Trading Down 1.9 %

Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. stock opened at $87.97 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $222.54 billion, a PE ratio of 18.44, a P/E/G ratio of 1.20 and a beta of 0.38. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 1 year low of $87.33 and a 1 year high of $134.63. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.79, a current ratio of 1.36 and a quick ratio of 1.15. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $99.31 and a 200-day moving average price of $107.00.

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

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

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 7th. Investors of record on Monday, March 17th will be issued a $0.81 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 17th. This represents a $3.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.68%. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 67.92%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have recently weighed in on MRK shares. BMO Capital Markets lowered their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $105.00 to $96.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday. Daiwa Capital Markets downgraded shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, November 11th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $125.00 to $110.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, November 1st. Bank of America lowered their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $118.00 to $112.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday. Finally, Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $113.00 to $106.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and three have issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $120.33.

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.