Auto Owners Insurance Co Grows Holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK)

Auto Owners Insurance Co grew its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 1,134.9% during the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 90,145 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 82,845 shares during the period. Auto Owners Insurance Co's holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $8,091,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Barnes Dennig Private Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the 1st quarter valued at $27,000. WealthTrak Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. during the 4th quarter worth $35,000. MorganRosel Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. during the 1st quarter worth $36,000. Spurstone Advisory Services LLC purchased a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the 4th quarter valued at about $37,000. Finally, Hurley Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the 4th quarter valued at about $40,000. 76.07% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Performance

Merck & Co., Inc. stock opened at $81.70 on Wednesday. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $79.37 and its 200-day simple moving average is $85.70. The company has a market cap of $205.14 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.89, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.83 and a beta of 0.39. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 1.41 and a quick ratio of 1.16. Merck & Co., Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $73.31 and a fifty-two week high of $128.73.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 24th. The company reported $2.22 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.16 by $0.06. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 27.27% and a return on equity of 43.23%. The firm had revenue of $15.53 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $15.59 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $2.07 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was down 1.6% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 EPS for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, October 7th. Investors of record on Monday, September 15th will be given a dividend of $0.81 per share. This represents a $3.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.97%. Merck & Co., Inc.'s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 47.16%.

Insider Activity

In other news, SVP Dalton E. Smart III sold 4,262 shares of Merck & Co., Inc. stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, April 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $82.76, for a total transaction of $352,723.12. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 7,778 shares in the company, valued at $643,707.28. The trade was a 35.40% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 0.09% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

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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