Caliber Wealth Management LLC KS Takes $2.76 Million Position in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK)

Key Points

• Caliber Wealth Management LLC KS has recently acquired a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc., purchasing 30,768 shares worth approximately $2.76 million during the first quarter.
• Merck's latest earnings report revealed an earnings per share of $2.22, exceeding analysts' expectations, and a revenue of $15.53 billion, slightly below consensus estimates for the quarter.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.81 per share, with a dividend yield of 3.85%, scheduled for payment on October 7th, to shareholders of record on September 15th.

Caliber Wealth Management LLC KS acquired a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm acquired 30,768 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,762,000.

Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of MRK. Barnes Dennig Private Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the first quarter valued at approximately $27,000. WealthTrak Capital Management LLC bought a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $35,000. MorganRosel Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. in the first quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Spurstone Advisory Services LLC bought a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $37,000. Finally, Hurley Capital LLC bought a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $40,000. 76.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on MRK. Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $99.00 to $98.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, July 10th. Cantor Fitzgerald cut shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from an "overweight" rating to a "cautious" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 20th. Citigroup reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and set a $84.00 target price (down previously from $115.00) on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Wednesday, May 14th. Guggenheim reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $115.00 target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Thursday, April 17th. Finally, 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. One equities 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 issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $108.69.

Merck & Co., Inc. Trading Down 3.4%

MRK traded down $2.86 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $81.20. 17,393,958 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 15,824,896. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $203.89 billion, a PE ratio of 11.84, a P/E/G ratio of 0.87 and a beta of 0.39. The stock's 50-day moving average is $80.17 and its 200 day moving average is $84.99. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 12 month low of $73.31 and a 12 month high of $123.94.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 29th. The company reported $2.13 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.03 by $0.10. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 27.27% and a return on equity of 43.23%. Equities analysts anticipate that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 earnings per share for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, October 7th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 15th will be given a dividend of $0.81 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 15th. This represents a $3.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.99%. Merck & Co., Inc.'s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 47.16%.

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.