Aurdan Capital Management LLC Takes Position in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK)

Aurdan Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 10,121 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,007,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Vermillion Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. in the 4th quarter valued at about $120,000. Forum Financial Management LP increased its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 31.0% during the fourth quarter. Forum Financial Management LP now owns 32,205 shares of the company's stock worth $3,204,000 after purchasing an additional 7,612 shares in the last quarter. Peak Retirement Planning Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the fourth quarter worth approximately $899,000. Drucker Wealth 3.0 LLC increased its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 10.6% during the fourth quarter. Drucker Wealth 3.0 LLC now owns 2,108 shares of the company's stock worth $210,000 after purchasing an additional 202 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Warm Springs Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the fourth quarter worth approximately $376,000. 76.07% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Merck & Co., Inc. news, SVP Dalton E. Smart III sold 4,262 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, April 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $82.76, for a total transaction of $352,723.12. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 7,778 shares in the company, valued at $643,707.28. This represents a 35.40% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 0.13% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts recently commented on MRK shares. Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $113.00 to $106.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, February 5th. TD Securities cut Merck & Co., Inc. from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and dropped their price target for the stock from $121.00 to $100.00 in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Bank of America dropped their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $118.00 to $112.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, February 5th. Cantor Fitzgerald cut Merck & Co., Inc. from an "overweight" rating to a "cautious" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 20th. Finally, Citigroup restated 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. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have assigned a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and three have given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $109.19.

Merck & Co., Inc. Trading Down 0.1%

MRK traded down $0.08 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $77.50. 11,867,802 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 12,568,652. The firm's fifty day moving average is $81.43 and its two-hundred day moving average is $91.15. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 1-year low of $73.31 and a 1-year high of $134.63. The company has a current ratio of 1.36, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.79. The company has a market cap of $194.60 billion, a PE ratio of 11.52, a PEG ratio of 0.77 and a beta of 0.43.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The company reported $2.22 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.16 by $0.06. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 45.35% and a net margin of 26.67%. The firm had revenue of $15.53 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $15.59 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $2.07 EPS. Merck & Co., Inc.'s revenue was down 1.6% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts forecast that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. declared that its board has approved a share repurchase plan on Tuesday, January 28th that allows the company to repurchase $10.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the company to reacquire up to 4.1% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are often an indication that the company's board believes its stock is undervalued.

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, July 8th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 16th will be issued a dividend of $0.81 per share. This represents a $3.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.18%. 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.