Worldquant Millennium Advisors LLC Has $170.63 Million Stake in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK)

Worldquant Millennium Advisors LLC raised its position in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 99.5% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 1,715,221 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 855,324 shares during the period. Merck & Co., Inc. makes up 1.1% of Worldquant Millennium Advisors LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 11th biggest holding. Worldquant Millennium Advisors LLC’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $170,630,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Tallon Kerry Patrick acquired a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the fourth quarter valued at about $365,000. Liberty One Investment Management LLC increased its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 12.1% in the fourth quarter. Liberty One Investment Management LLC now owns 36,247 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,606,000 after acquiring an additional 3,916 shares during the last quarter. Brady Martz Wealth Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the fourth quarter valued at about $1,788,000. Grove Bank & Trust increased its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 5.6% in the fourth quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 15,288 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,521,000 after acquiring an additional 812 shares during the last quarter. Finally, City Holding Co. increased its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.8% in the fourth quarter. City Holding Co. now owns 23,360 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,324,000 after acquiring an additional 635 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.07% of the company’s stock.

Merck & Co., Inc. Trading Up 1.4%

Shares of NYSE:MRK opened at $77.16 on Tuesday. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 12-month low of $73.31 and a 12-month high of $134.63. The stock has a market cap of $193.75 billion, a PE ratio of 11.47, a P/E/G ratio of 0.77 and a beta of 0.43. The business has a 50 day moving average of $83.13 and a 200-day moving average of $91.99. The company has a quick ratio of 1.15, a current ratio of 1.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.79.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The company reported $2.22 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.16 by $0.06. The business had revenue of $15.53 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $15.59 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 45.35% and a net margin of 26.67%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 1.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $2.07 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 earnings per share for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock repurchase plan on Tuesday, January 28th that authorizes the company to repurchase $10.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the company to purchase up to 4.1% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are typically an indication that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MRK has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. TD Cowen downgraded Merck & Co., Inc. from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and lowered their price target for the stock from $121.00 to $100.00 in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Citigroup reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $84.00 price target (down previously from $115.00) on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Wednesday, May 14th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft downgraded Merck & Co., Inc. from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and lowered their price target for the stock from $128.00 to $105.00 in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $113.00 to $106.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, February 5th. Finally, Bank of America lowered their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $118.00 to $112.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, February 5th. Thirteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and three have given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Merck & Co., Inc. has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $109.19.

Insider Activity at Merck & Co., Inc.

In related news, SVP Dalton E. Smart III sold 4,262 shares of the business’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 sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 7,778 shares in the company, valued at approximately $643,707.28. The trade was a 35.40% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. 0.13% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Merck & Co., Inc. Profile

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.