Radnor Capital Management LLC Reduces Position in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK)

Radnor Capital Management LLC decreased its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK – Get Rating) by 0.1% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 593,928 shares of the company’s stock after selling 710 shares during the quarter. Merck & Co., Inc. accounts for approximately 16.1% of Radnor Capital Management LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its biggest holding. Radnor Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $65,873,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in MRK. FMR LLC lifted its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 53.8% in the 2nd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 22,349,549 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,037,608,000 after acquiring an additional 7,816,470 shares in the last quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC lifted its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 2,671.4% during the 1st quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 5,099,334 shares of the company’s stock worth $418,400,000 after buying an additional 4,915,334 shares in the last quarter. GQG Partners LLC lifted its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 48,148.9% during the 2nd quarter. GQG Partners LLC now owns 4,214,059 shares of the company’s stock worth $384,412,000 after buying an additional 4,205,325 shares in the last quarter. Caisse DE Depot ET Placement DU Quebec lifted its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 256.3% during the 1st quarter. Caisse DE Depot ET Placement DU Quebec now owns 4,882,173 shares of the company’s stock worth $400,582,000 after buying an additional 3,511,900 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 1.4% during the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 224,134,448 shares of the company’s stock worth $19,302,459,000 after buying an additional 3,081,402 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 72.89% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Joseph Romanelli sold 5,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $108.22, for a total transaction of $541,100.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 20,284 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,195,134.48. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other news, EVP Steven Mizell sold 1,815 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $109.10, for a total transaction of $198,016.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 33,085 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,609,573.50. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Joseph Romanelli sold 5,000 shares of Merck & Co., Inc. stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $108.22, for a total transaction of $541,100.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 20,284 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,195,134.48. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 100,245 shares of company stock worth $11,168,256 in the last three months. Corporate insiders own 0.29% of the company’s stock.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Down 3.0 %

Merck & Co., Inc. stock opened at $104.10 on Friday. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 1-year low of $78.63 and a 1-year high of $115.49. The firm has a market capitalization of $264.27 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.23, a P/E/G ratio of 1.95 and a beta of 0.34. The company has a current ratio of 1.47, a quick ratio of 1.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $108.19 and a 200 day simple moving average of $102.15.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK – Get Rating) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 2nd. The company reported $1.62 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.56 by $0.06. The business had revenue of $13.83 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $13.66 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 24.49% and a return on equity of 43.47%. Merck & Co., Inc.’s revenue was up 2.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.80 EPS. On average, analysts predict that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 6.88 earnings per share for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 10th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, March 15th will be given a dividend of $0.73 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 14th. This represents a $2.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.80%. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 51.14%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MRK has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Wolfe Research raised shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “peer perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $127.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, February 22nd. Berenberg Bank lifted their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $125.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, March 10th. Guggenheim lifted their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $116.00 to $123.00 in a research report on Thursday, March 9th. Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Monday, March 6th. They set a “buy” rating and a $125.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Atlantic Securities raised their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $122.00 to $127.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 7th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $119.35.

Merck & Co., Inc. Company Profile

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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.