Community Bank N.A. boosted its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK – Free Report) by 2.0% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 115,327 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,306 shares during the quarter. Merck & Co., Inc. makes up approximately 1.2% of Community Bank N.A.’s holdings, making the stock its 18th biggest holding. Community Bank N.A.’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $9,128,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.
Several other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the business. Peoples Financial Services CORP. boosted its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.5% in 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 last quarter. McLean Asset Management Corp boosted its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 3.7% in the 2nd quarter. McLean Asset Management Corp now owns 3,543 shares of the company’s stock valued at $292,000 after purchasing an additional 125 shares during the last quarter. Cora Capital Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.4% in the 2nd quarter. Cora Capital Advisors LLC now owns 5,343 shares of the company’s stock valued at $423,000 after purchasing an additional 125 shares during the last quarter. Foundation Wealth Management LLC PA boosted its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.4% in the 1st quarter. Foundation Wealth Management LLC PA now owns 5,361 shares of the company’s stock valued at $481,000 after purchasing an additional 127 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Saiph Capital LLC raised its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 3.7% in the 1st quarter. Saiph Capital LLC now owns 3,565 shares of the company’s stock valued at $320,000 after acquiring an additional 128 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 76.07% of the company’s stock.
Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Performance
Shares of MRK stock opened at $85.64 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 1.17 and a current ratio of 1.42. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 52 week low of $73.31 and a 52 week high of $111.58. The company has a market capitalization of $213.90 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.19, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.88 and a beta of 0.37. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $83.58 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $81.40.
Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend
The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, October 7th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 15th were issued a $0.81 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, September 15th. This represents a $3.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.8%. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 49.92%.
Wall Street Analyst Weigh In
A number of analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Berenberg Bank downgraded shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and cut their price target for the company from $100.00 to $90.00 in a research report on Wednesday, September 17th. Morgan Stanley cut their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $99.00 to $98.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, July 10th. Citigroup assumed coverage on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Monday. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $95.00 price target on the stock. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $97.00 to $90.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, July 30th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have given a Buy rating, fourteen have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Merck & Co., Inc. has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $105.00.
Read Our Latest Stock Analysis 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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