Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK Shares Sold by J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG

J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG decreased its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 1.2% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 771,964 shares of the company’s stock after selling 9,352 shares during the quarter. Merck & Co., Inc. accounts for about 1.0% of J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 25th largest position. J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $64,791,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of MRK. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 29.5% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 38,278 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,808,000 after buying an additional 8,710 shares in the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC lifted its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 52.2% in the 2nd quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 11,494 shares of the company’s stock valued at $910,000 after acquiring an additional 3,941 shares in the last quarter. Patton Fund Management Inc. acquired a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $242,000. Avior Wealth Management LLC grew its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 47.7% during the 2nd quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC now owns 11,437 shares of the company’s stock worth $905,000 after purchasing an additional 3,694 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Peoples Financial Services CORP. raised its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.5% during the 2nd quarter. Peoples Financial Services CORP. now owns 22,778 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,803,000 after purchasing an additional 122 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.07% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP David Michael Williams sold 8,614 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $83.59, for a total transaction of $720,044.26. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 24,578 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,054,475.02. This represents a 25.95% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Company insiders own 0.09% of the company’s stock.

Merck & Co., Inc. Trading Down 0.7%

NYSE:MRK opened at $107.39 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $266.54 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.19, a P/E/G ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.29. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $104.22 and its 200 day moving average price is $91.28. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 1.44 and a current ratio of 1.66. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 52 week low of $73.31 and a 52 week high of $112.90.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, February 3rd. The company reported $1.94 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate 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 forecast that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced 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. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.2%. This is an increase from Merck & Co., Inc.’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.81. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 15th. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio is 44.91%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MRK has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. BMO Capital Markets raised Merck & Co., Inc. from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and raised their target price for the stock from $82.00 to $130.00 in a research report on Thursday, December 18th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Bank of America increased their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $105.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, December 15th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $92.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 2nd. Finally, UBS Group upped their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $105.00 to $130.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 7th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have given a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Merck & Co., Inc. currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $114.20.

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.