80,705 Shares in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) Purchased by Banque Cantonale Vaudoise

Key Points

• Banque Cantonale Vaudoise has acquired 80,705 shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (MRK), worth approximately $7.24 million, marking a notable new investment during the first quarter.
• Institutional investors currently hold 76.07% of MRK stock, with various firms such as GSA Capital Partners and Geneos Wealth Management increasing their stakes in the company during the same period.
• Merck recently declared a quarterly dividend of $0.81 per share, which translates to an annualized yield of 3.85%, with the upcoming ex-dividend date set for September 15th.

Banque Cantonale Vaudoise bought a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) during the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm bought 80,705 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $7,244,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in MRK. GSA Capital Partners LLP boosted its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 45.0% during the first quarter. GSA Capital Partners LLP now owns 27,081 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,431,000 after purchasing an additional 8,401 shares in the last quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. boosted its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 76.7% during the first quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 28,759 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,581,000 after purchasing an additional 12,479 shares in the last quarter. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC boosted its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.6% during the first quarter. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC now owns 5,197 shares of the company's stock valued at $466,000 after purchasing an additional 130 shares in the last quarter. Canopy Partners LLC boosted its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 3.5% during the first quarter. Canopy Partners LLC now owns 11,862 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,065,000 after purchasing an additional 404 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Meeder Advisory Services Inc. boosted its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 5.5% during the first quarter. Meeder Advisory Services Inc. now owns 49,026 shares of the company's stock valued at $4,401,000 after purchasing an additional 2,539 shares in the last quarter. 76.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MRK has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $99.00 to $98.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, July 10th. Citigroup reissued a "neutral" rating and issued a $84.00 target price (down from $115.00) on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Wednesday, May 14th. Cantor Fitzgerald downgraded Merck & Co., Inc. from an "overweight" rating to a "cautious" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 20th. Wall Street Zen downgraded Merck & Co., Inc. from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, April 25th. Finally, Guggenheim reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $115.00 target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Thursday, April 17th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have given a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Merck & Co., Inc. presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $108.69.

Merck & Co., Inc. Price Performance

Shares of MRK stock opened at $84.16 on Tuesday. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 12-month low of $73.31 and a 12-month high of $127.99. The firm has a market capitalization of $211.33 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.25, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.87 and a beta of 0.39. 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 firm has a fifty day moving average of $80.17 and a 200-day moving average of $84.99.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, October 7th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 15th will be issued a $0.81 dividend. This represents a $3.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.85%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 15th. Merck & Co., Inc.'s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 47.16%.

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.

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