Advisor OS LLC grew its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK – Free Report) by 0.9% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 32,558 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 293 shares during the quarter. Advisor OS LLC’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $2,922,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).
Other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Barnes Dennig Private Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. in the first quarter valued at approximately $27,000. WealthTrak Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $35,000. MorganRosel Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. during the 1st quarter valued at $36,000. Spurstone Advisory Services LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the fourth quarter worth $37,000. Finally, Hurley Capital LLC purchased a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. during the fourth quarter valued at about $40,000. 76.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.
Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Up 2.9%
MRK opened at $83.96 on Thursday. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $79.66 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $85.52. The company has a market cap of $210.81 billion, a PE ratio of 12.22, a P/E/G ratio of 0.85 and a beta of 0.39. The company has a quick ratio of 1.16, a current ratio of 1.41 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 52 week low of $73.31 and a 52 week high of $128.73.
Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement
The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, October 7th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 15th will be given a $0.81 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 15th. This represents a $3.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.86%. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 47.16%.
Insider Transactions at Merck & Co., Inc.
In other Merck & Co., Inc. news, SVP Dalton E. Smart III sold 4,262 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, April 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $82.76, for a total value of $352,723.12. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 7,778 shares in the company, valued at $643,707.28. This represents a 35.40% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 0.13% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.
Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades
A number of brokerages have commented on MRK. Morgan Stanley dropped their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $99.00 to $98.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, July 10th. Guggenheim restated a “buy” rating and issued a $115.00 price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Thursday, April 17th. Citigroup reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $84.00 target price (down from $115.00) on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Wednesday, May 14th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, April 25th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald lowered shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from an “overweight” rating to a “cautious” rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 20th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have given a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Merck & Co., Inc. has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $108.69.
Read Our Latest Report on Merck & Co., Inc.
About Merck & Co., Inc.
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.
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