Jupiter Asset Management Ltd. Has $340,000 Position in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK)

Jupiter Asset Management Ltd. decreased its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 59.6% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 2,948 shares of the company’s stock after selling 4,343 shares during the period. Jupiter Asset Management Ltd.’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $340,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Amplius Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 9.1% during the 2nd quarter. Amplius Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 4,046 shares of the company’s stock valued at $467,000 after purchasing an additional 336 shares in the last quarter. Peddock Capital Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 8.3% during the 2nd quarter. Peddock Capital Advisors LLC now owns 16,794 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,938,000 after buying an additional 1,286 shares during the period. Calamos Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 1.5% in the 2nd quarter. Calamos Wealth Management LLC now owns 19,388 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,237,000 after acquiring an additional 286 shares in the last quarter. Juncture Wealth Strategies LLC acquired a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the 2nd quarter valued at $203,000. Finally, Fort Sheridan Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 32.5% during the first quarter. Fort Sheridan Advisors LLC now owns 80,366 shares of the company’s stock worth $8,550,000 after acquiring an additional 19,697 shares in the last quarter. 74.59% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MRK has been the subject of several research reports. Cantor Fitzgerald restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $135.00 target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Wednesday, November 15th. StockNews.com initiated coverage on Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Thursday, October 5th. They set a “buy” rating on the stock. UBS Group raised shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price target for the company from $117.00 to $122.00 in a research report on Friday, October 20th. Truist Financial reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $122.00 price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Friday, October 6th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft assumed coverage on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Thursday, November 9th. They set a “buy” rating and a $115.00 target price for the company. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seventeen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Merck & Co., Inc. currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $125.14.

Insider Activity at Merck & Co., Inc.

In other Merck & Co., Inc. news, insider Johannes Jacobus Oosthuizen sold 2,081 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, November 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $102.38, for a total transaction of $213,052.78. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 18,191 shares in the company, valued at $1,862,394.58. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In related news, EVP Richard R. Deluca sold 43,823 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $105.03, for a total transaction of $4,602,729.69. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 111,764 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $11,738,572.92. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Johannes Jacobus Oosthuizen sold 2,081 shares of Merck & Co., Inc. stock in a transaction dated Thursday, November 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $102.38, for a total value of $213,052.78. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 18,191 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,862,394.58. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.20% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Merck & Co., Inc. Trading Up 0.9 %

Shares of MRK stock opened at $102.68 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.12, a current ratio of 1.38 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.82. The firm has a market cap of $260.19 billion, a P/E ratio of 57.04, a PEG ratio of 8.82 and a beta of 0.37. The company has a 50 day moving average of $103.98 and a 200-day moving average of $108.11. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 12-month low of $96.36 and a 12-month high of $119.65.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last released its earnings results on Thursday, October 26th. The company reported $2.13 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.94 by $0.19. The business had revenue of $16 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $15.30 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 18.26% and a net margin of 7.77%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.85 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 1.37 earnings per share for the current year.

About Merck & Co., Inc.

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, as well as vaccine products, such as preventive pediatric, adolescent, and adult vaccines.