R Squared Ltd Invests $373,000 in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK)

Key Points

• R Squared Ltd acquired 4,150 shares of Merck & Co., Inc. for approximately $373,000 in the first quarter, highlighting ongoing investment interest in the company.
• Merck's stock has seen mixed ratings from analysts, with one sell rating, twelve hold ratings, and seven buy ratings, reflecting a cautious outlook despite a recent earnings report beating estimates.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.81 per share, representing a 4.1% yield and reflecting its commitment to returning value to shareholders.

R Squared Ltd bought a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 4,150 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $373,000.

A number of other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Barnes Dennig Private Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. in the first quarter worth approximately $27,000. MorganRosel Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. in the first quarter worth approximately $36,000. Spurstone Advisory Services LLC acquired a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. in the fourth quarter worth approximately $37,000. Hurley Capital LLC acquired a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. in the fourth quarter worth approximately $40,000. Finally, Marshall & Sterling Wealth Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. in the fourth quarter worth approximately $44,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.07% of the company's stock.

Merck & Co., Inc. Price Performance

Merck & Co., Inc. stock traded up $1.15 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $79.27. 11,898,764 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 13,108,983. The company has a quick ratio of 1.16, a current ratio of 1.41 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. The business has a fifty day moving average of $80.41 and a 200 day moving average of $84.44. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 1-year low of $73.31 and a 1-year high of $120.30. The company has a market capitalization of $199.05 billion, a PE ratio of 12.21, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.80 and a beta of 0.38.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, July 29th. The company reported $2.13 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.03 by $0.10. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 41.63% and a net margin of 25.79%. The company had revenue of $15.81 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $15.92 billion. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 earnings per share for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, October 7th. Investors of record on Monday, September 15th will be given a $0.81 dividend. This represents a $3.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.1%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 15th. Merck & Co., Inc.'s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 49.92%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts recently commented on the company. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $97.00 to $90.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday. Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $99.00 to $98.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, July 10th. Cantor Fitzgerald cut Merck & Co., Inc. from an "overweight" rating to a "cautious" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 20th. Wall Street Zen cut Merck & Co., Inc. from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, April 25th. Finally, Guggenheim reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $115.00 target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Thursday, April 17th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have issued a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $107.44.

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.