PKO Investment Management Joint Stock Co Lowers Stake in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

PKO Investment Management Joint Stock Co cut its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 7.1% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 71,875 shares of the company’s stock after selling 5,500 shares during the quarter. PKO Investment Management Joint Stock Co’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $6,032,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Pinion Investment Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 28.6% in the 3rd quarter. Pinion Investment Advisors LLC now owns 11,842 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,036,000 after purchasing an additional 2,631 shares in the last quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB increased its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.0% during the 3rd quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 10,945,187 shares of the company’s stock worth $876,600,000 after purchasing an additional 209,759 shares in the last quarter. New Republic Capital LLC raised its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 7.8% in the third quarter. New Republic Capital LLC now owns 6,221 shares of the company’s stock valued at $527,000 after buying an additional 452 shares during the period. Argyle Capital Management LLC lifted its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 1.0% during the third quarter. Argyle Capital Management LLC now owns 59,866 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,025,000 after buying an additional 565 shares in the last quarter. Finally, First Horizon Corp purchased a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. during the third quarter worth approximately $10,040,000. 76.07% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on the stock. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Citigroup increased their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $95.00 to $110.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 7th. Wolfe Research upgraded Merck & Co., Inc. from a “peer perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $135.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. Wall Street Zen raised Merck & Co., Inc. from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, November 8th. Finally, Zacks Research lowered Merck & Co., Inc. from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Friday. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $112.87.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Performance

Shares of MRK stock opened at $109.15 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77, a current ratio of 1.66 and a quick ratio of 1.44. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $100.13 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $89.32. The firm has a market capitalization of $270.92 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.42, a P/E/G ratio of 1.13 and a beta of 0.29. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 12 month low of $73.31 and a 12 month high of $112.90.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, February 3rd. The company reported $1.94 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.08 by ($0.14). Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 44.54% and a net margin of 29.63%. On average, research analysts anticipate that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 8th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 15th were issued a dividend of $0.85 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 15th. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.1%. This is a boost from Merck & Co., Inc.’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.81. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 44.91%.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP David Michael Williams sold 8,614 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $83.59, for a total transaction of $720,044.26. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 24,578 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,054,475.02. This represents a 25.95% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.09% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Merck & Co., Inc. Company Profile

Merck & Co, Inc is a global biopharmaceutical company engaged in the discovery, development, manufacture and marketing of prescription medicines, vaccines, biologic therapies and animal health products. Its portfolio spans multiple therapeutic areas with a particular emphasis on oncology, vaccines and infectious disease, as well as therapies for metabolic and chronic conditions. Among its well-known products are the cancer immunotherapy Keytruda (pembrolizumab) and the human papillomavirus vaccine Gardasil; the company also markets a range of medicines and vaccines for veterinary use through Merck Animal Health.

Founded in the late 19th century as the U.S.