M&R Capital Management Inc. Sells 366 Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK)

M&R Capital Management Inc. cut its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK – Get Rating) by 0.3% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 124,643 shares of the company’s stock after selling 366 shares during the quarter. Merck & Co., Inc. comprises 3.8% of M&R Capital Management Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 6th largest position. M&R Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $13,829,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of MRK. Legend Financial Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the third quarter valued at approximately $27,000. EdgeRock Capital LLC bought a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. during the third quarter valued at $30,000. Mach 1 Financial Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the third quarter worth $30,000. New Millennium Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the second quarter worth $35,000. Finally, Horizons Wealth Management bought a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the second quarter worth $42,000. 72.89% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Sanat Chattopadhyay sold 83,994 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, January 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $112.29, for a total transaction of $9,431,686.26. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 29,500 shares in the company, valued at $3,312,555. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other news, insider Joseph Romanelli sold 5,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $108.22, for a total value of $541,100.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 20,284 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,195,134.48. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Sanat Chattopadhyay sold 83,994 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, January 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $112.29, for a total transaction of $9,431,686.26. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 29,500 shares in the company, valued at $3,312,555. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 100,245 shares of company stock worth $11,168,256 over the last 90 days. 0.29% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Merck & Co., Inc. Trading Down 3.0 %

NYSE:MRK opened at $104.10 on Friday. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 12 month low of $78.63 and a 12 month high of $115.49. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $108.19 and a 200-day simple moving average of $102.25. 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 company has a market capitalization of $264.27 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.23, a PEG ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 0.34.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK – Get Rating) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 2nd. The company reported $1.62 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.56 by $0.06. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 24.49% and a return on equity of 43.47%. The firm had revenue of $13.83 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $13.66 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.80 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 2.3% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 6.87 earnings per share for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MRK has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company lowered Merck & Co., Inc. from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and dropped their price objective for the company from $120.00 to $115.00 in a research note on Monday, March 13th. Cowen raised their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $108.00 to $120.00 in a research report on Tuesday, January 3rd. Credit Suisse Group lifted their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $125.00 to $126.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 7th. Berenberg Bank raised their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $125.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, March 10th. Finally, Morgan Stanley cut their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $100.00 to $99.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 3rd. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Merck & Co., Inc. presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $119.35.

Merck & Co., Inc. 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.