Parvin Asset Management LLC Purchases New Stake in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK)

Parvin Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 4,665 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $464,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Triumph Capital Management acquired a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. during the 4th quarter valued at $350,000. Becker Capital Management Inc. raised its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.4% during the fourth quarter. Becker Capital Management Inc. now owns 305,546 shares of the company's stock valued at $30,643,000 after buying an additional 1,101 shares during the period. Voleon Capital Management LP acquired a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. during the 4th quarter worth about $5,252,000. Evergreen Wealth Solutions LLC grew its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 4.0% during the 4th quarter. Evergreen Wealth Solutions LLC now owns 5,470 shares of the company's stock valued at $544,000 after acquiring an additional 212 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Randolph Co Inc boosted its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.5% during the fourth quarter. Randolph Co Inc now owns 206,070 shares of the company's stock worth $20,500,000 after purchasing an additional 1,049 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.07% of the company's stock.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Down 0.1 %

MRK stock traded down $0.12 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $83.14. 11,754,543 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 12,026,925. The firm has a market cap of $209.66 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.35, a P/E/G ratio of 0.77 and a beta of 0.40. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.79, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a current ratio of 1.36. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 1-year low of $75.93 and a 1-year high of $134.63. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $86.70 and its 200 day simple moving average is $94.52.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 24th. The company reported $2.22 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.16 by $0.06. The company had revenue of $15.53 billion for 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 business's revenue was down 1.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $2.07 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. announced that its board has initiated a stock buyback plan on Tuesday, January 28th that permits the company to repurchase $10.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the company to purchase up to 4.1% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are often a sign that the company's board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, SVP Dalton E. Smart III sold 4,262 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 sale, the senior vice president now owns 7,778 shares in the company, valued at approximately $643,707.28. This represents a 35.40 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Cristal N. Downing sold 2,361 shares of the company's stock in a transaction 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 completion of 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 ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.09% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have commented on the company. Truist Financial reiterated a "hold" rating and set a $110.00 price target (down previously from $130.00) on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Guggenheim reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $115.00 target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Thursday, April 17th. TD Cowen cut shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and cut their price target for the stock from $121.00 to $100.00 in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Citigroup dropped their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $125.00 to $115.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets lowered their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $105.00 to $96.00 and set a "market perform" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, February 5th. Twelve equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and three have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $111.13.

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.