Smithbridge Asset Management Inc. DE cut its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK – Free Report) by 4.2% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 2,639 shares of the company’s stock after selling 115 shares during the period. Smithbridge Asset Management Inc. DE’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $288,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.
A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of MRK. Cantor Fitzgerald Investment Advisor L.P raised its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 94.2% during the 1st quarter. Cantor Fitzgerald Investment Advisor L.P now owns 349,588 shares of the company’s stock valued at $28,683,000 after purchasing an additional 169,536 shares in the last quarter. BCK Partners Inc. bought a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the 1st quarter worth $2,423,000. NewEdge Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 6.3% in the 1st quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 159,225 shares of the company’s stock worth $13,064,000 after acquiring an additional 9,376 shares in the last quarter. First Western Trust Bank bought a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the 1st quarter worth $1,078,000. Finally, Equitable Holdings Inc. raised its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 12.9% in the 1st quarter. Equitable Holdings Inc. now owns 36,124 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,964,000 after acquiring an additional 4,131 shares in the last quarter. 76.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.
Insider Buying and Selling
In related news, insider Joseph Romanelli sold 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $124.89, for a total value of $124,890.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 19,569 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,443,972.41. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. In related news, insider Joseph Romanelli sold 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $124.89, for a total value of $124,890.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 19,569 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,443,972.41. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Steven Mizell sold 50,694 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $126.65, for a total value of $6,420,395.10. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 23,619 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,991,346.35. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.20% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.
Analysts Set New Price Targets
Read Our Latest Stock Analysis on MRK
Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Performance
Shares of MRK traded down $0.14 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $131.61. The company had a trading volume of 4,548,472 shares, compared to its average volume of 8,711,833. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 52-week low of $99.14 and a 52-week high of $133.10. The company has a quick ratio of 1.00, a current ratio of 1.25 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89. The stock has a market capitalization of $333.32 billion, a P/E ratio of 941.64, a PEG ratio of 0.50 and a beta of 0.37. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $124.21 and a two-hundred day moving average of $112.39.
Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK – Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 1st. The company reported $0.03 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.09) by $0.12. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 9.33% and a net margin of 0.61%. The firm had revenue of $14.63 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $14.49 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.62 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 5.8% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts expect that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 8.58 earnings per share for the current year.
Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend
The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 5th. Investors of record on Friday, March 15th will be issued a $0.77 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 14th. This represents a $3.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.34%. Merck & Co., Inc.’s payout ratio is 2,200.00%.
Merck & Co., Inc. Company Profile
Merck & Co, Inc operates as a healthcare company worldwide. It operates through two segments, Pharmaceutical and Animal Health. The Pharmaceutical segment offers human health pharmaceutical products in the areas of oncology, hospital acute care, immunology, neuroscience, virology, cardiovascular, and diabetes under the Keytruda, Bridion, Adempas, Lagevrio, Belsomra, Simponi, and Januvia brands, as well as vaccine products consisting of preventive pediatric, adolescent, and adult vaccines under the Gardasil/Gardasil 9, ProQuad, M-M-R II, Varivax, RotaTeq, Live Oral, Vaxneuvance, Pneumovax 23, and Vaqta names.
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