Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC Reduces Stock Holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK)

Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC lessened its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 5.5% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 211,950 shares of the company’s stock after selling 12,275 shares during the period. Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $21,085,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. AMF Tjanstepension AB boosted its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 114.2% during the 3rd quarter. AMF Tjanstepension AB now owns 802,384 shares of the company’s stock valued at $91,205,000 after acquiring an additional 427,831 shares during the period. LVW Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 15.1% during the third quarter. LVW Advisors LLC now owns 7,820 shares of the company’s stock worth $888,000 after purchasing an additional 1,028 shares during the last quarter. Juncture Wealth Strategies LLC boosted its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 13.7% during the third quarter. Juncture Wealth Strategies LLC now owns 2,311 shares of the company’s stock valued at $262,000 after purchasing an additional 278 shares during the period. Livforsakringsbolaget Skandia Omsesidigt grew its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 34.6% in the third quarter. Livforsakringsbolaget Skandia Omsesidigt now owns 167,097 shares of the company’s stock worth $19,056,000 after purchasing an additional 42,990 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Fiduciary Financial Group LLC increased its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 4.2% in the 3rd quarter. Fiduciary Financial Group LLC now owns 6,582 shares of the company’s stock worth $714,000 after buying an additional 267 shares during the period. 76.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Merck & Co., Inc. Price Performance

Shares of MRK opened at $87.26 on Friday. The company has a 50 day moving average of $98.72 and a two-hundred day moving average of $106.60. 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. has a twelve month low of $87.12 and a twelve month high of $134.63. The company has a market cap of $220.73 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.97, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.83 and a beta of 0.38.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 4th. The company reported $1.72 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.85 by ($0.13). Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 26.67% and a return on equity of 45.35%. The business had revenue of $15.62 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $15.51 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.03 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.8% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts predict that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 7th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 17th will be paid a dividend of $0.81 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 17th. This represents a $3.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.71%. Merck & Co., Inc.’s payout ratio is 48.14%.

Insider Activity

In other Merck & Co., Inc. news, insider Cristal N. Downing sold 2,361 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $88.76, for a total transaction of $209,562.36. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 7,085 shares in the company, valued at approximately $628,864.60. This represents a 24.99 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Inge G. Thulin purchased 2,833 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 6th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $88.25 per share, with a total value of $250,012.25. Following the acquisition, the director now owns 2,933 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $258,837.25. The trade was a 2,833.00 % increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.09% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MRK has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Daiwa America downgraded shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, November 11th. Wolfe Research started coverage on Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Friday, November 15th. They issued a “peer perform” rating on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $125.00 to $110.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, November 1st. Morgan Stanley dropped 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. Finally, Daiwa Capital Markets lowered Merck & Co., Inc. from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, November 11th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and three have given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Merck & Co., Inc. has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $120.33.

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.