Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) Shares Sold by Wilkinson Global Asset Management LLC

Wilkinson Global Asset Management LLC reduced its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 6.7% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 28,155 shares of the company’s stock after selling 2,010 shares during the quarter. Merck & Co., Inc. comprises 0.2% of Wilkinson Global Asset Management LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 29th biggest holding. Wilkinson Global Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $3,486,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the 4th quarter worth $27,000. Burkett Financial Services LLC purchased a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. during the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. Tidemark LLC acquired a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. during the fourth quarter worth about $31,000. Clear Investment Research LLC purchased a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. in the fourth quarter valued at about $39,000. Finally, Roble Belko & Company Inc lifted its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 35.3% during the 1st quarter. Roble Belko & Company Inc now owns 326 shares of the company’s stock valued at $43,000 after acquiring an additional 85 shares during the period. 76.07% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Merck & Co., Inc. Trading Down 0.6 %

Shares of NYSE:MRK traded down $0.75 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $117.84. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 8,577,276 shares, compared to its average volume of 8,621,607. The firm has a market cap of $298.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 130.93, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.64 and a beta of 0.39. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $119.93 and a 200 day moving average price of $125.07. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 1 year low of $99.14 and a 1 year high of $134.63. The company has a quick ratio of 1.22, a current ratio of 1.47 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 30th. The company reported $2.28 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.16 by $0.12. The company had revenue of $16.10 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $15.87 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 21.99% and a return on equity of 40.69%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 7.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted ($2.06) EPS. Research analysts forecast that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 8.01 EPS for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, October 7th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 16th will be issued a $0.77 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 16th. This represents a $3.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.61%. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 342.22%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms recently weighed in on MRK. Barclays lowered their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $145.00 to $142.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, July 31st. UBS Group dropped their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $148.00 to $142.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, July 31st. Argus upgraded shares of Merck & Co., Inc. to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 5th. Bank of America dropped their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $150.00 to $145.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, July 31st. Finally, Wolfe Research raised shares of Merck & Co., Inc. to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 31st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and four have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Merck & Co., Inc. has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $134.58.

Merck & Co., Inc. Company Profile

Merck & Co, Inc operates as a healthcare company worldwide. It operates through two segments, Pharmaceutical and Animal Health. The Pharmaceutical segment offers human health pharmaceutical products in the areas of oncology, hospital acute care, immunology, neuroscience, virology, cardiovascular, and diabetes under the Keytruda, Bridion, Adempas, Lagevrio, Belsomra, Simponi, and Januvia brands, as well as vaccine products consisting of preventive pediatric, adolescent, and adult vaccines under the Gardasil/Gardasil 9, ProQuad, M-M-R II, Varivax, RotaTeq, Live Oral, Vaxneuvance, Pneumovax 23, and Vaqta names.