Insight Inv LLC Purchases 2,014 Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK)

Insight Inv LLC raised its position in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 11.3% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 19,793 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,014 shares during the period. Insight Inv LLC’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $1,969,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of MRK. Dark Forest Capital Management LP acquired a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the 2nd quarter worth about $409,000. Texas Capital Bancshares Inc TX increased its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 45.4% in the second quarter. Texas Capital Bancshares Inc TX now owns 3,657 shares of the company’s stock valued at $453,000 after acquiring an additional 1,142 shares during the last quarter. Kathmere Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 5.4% during the second quarter. Kathmere Capital Management LLC now owns 20,607 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,551,000 after acquiring an additional 1,062 shares in the last quarter. Texas Capital Bank Wealth Management Services Inc acquired a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. during the second quarter valued at approximately $237,000. Finally, SkyView Investment Advisors LLC grew its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 35.3% in the second quarter. SkyView Investment Advisors LLC now owns 10,498 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,300,000 after purchasing an additional 2,741 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 76.07% of the company’s stock.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE MRK opened at $95.54 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.79, a current ratio of 1.36 and a quick ratio of 1.15. The firm has a market cap of $241.69 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.03, a P/E/G ratio of 1.13 and a beta of 0.39. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $99.80 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $108.81. Merck & Co., Inc. has a one year low of $94.48 and a one year high of $134.63.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The company reported $1.57 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.50 by $0.07. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 19.23% and a return on equity of 36.42%. The company had revenue of $16.66 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $16.47 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $2.13 earnings per share. Merck & Co., Inc.’s quarterly revenue was up 4.4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts forecast that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 7.67 EPS for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 8th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 16th were issued a dividend of $0.81 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 16th. This is a boost from Merck & Co., Inc.’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.77. This represents a $3.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.39%. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 67.92%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on MRK shares. Daiwa America cut Merck & Co., Inc. from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, November 11th. Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $123.00 to $113.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. Leerink Partners decreased their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $136.00 to $119.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, January 13th. UBS Group dropped their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $125.00 to $120.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Finally, Hsbc Global Res upgraded shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 4th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and four have given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Merck & Co., Inc. presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $123.00.

Merck & Co., Inc. Company 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.