Cypress Capital Group Purchases 5,207 Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK)

Key Points

• Cypress Capital Group increased its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 11.1%, acquiring an additional 5,207 shares, bringing their total to 51,987 shares worth approximately $4.67 million.
• Merck's quarterly earnings report showed earnings per share of $2.13, surpassing estimates, despite revenues of $15.81 billion falling short of expectations.
• The company recently announced a quarterly dividend of $0.81 per share, illustrating a 4.0% dividend yield, with a payout ratio of approximately 49.92%.

Cypress Capital Group grew its position in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 11.1% in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 51,987 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 5,207 shares during the period. Cypress Capital Group's holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $4,666,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Foundation Wealth Management LLC PA grew its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.4% during the first quarter. Foundation Wealth Management LLC PA now owns 5,361 shares of the company's stock worth $481,000 after buying an additional 127 shares during the last quarter. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC lifted its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.6% in the 1st quarter. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC now owns 5,197 shares of the company's stock valued at $466,000 after acquiring an additional 130 shares during the last quarter. Tilson Financial Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.7% during the 1st quarter. Tilson Financial Group Inc. now owns 4,965 shares of the company's stock valued at $446,000 after acquiring an additional 132 shares in the last quarter. Perkins Coie Trust Co grew its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.3% during the 1st quarter. Perkins Coie Trust Co now owns 6,021 shares of the company's stock worth $540,000 after acquiring an additional 136 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Forza Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 1.3% in the 1st quarter. Forza Wealth Management LLC now owns 10,761 shares of the company's stock worth $966,000 after purchasing an additional 138 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 76.07% of the company's stock.

Merck & Co., Inc. Trading Up 0.3%

Shares of NYSE:MRK traded up $0.26 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $80.29. The company's stock had a trading volume of 7,849,343 shares, compared to its average volume of 12,137,868. Merck & Co., Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $73.31 and a fifty-two week high of $120.30. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 1.17 and a current ratio of 1.42. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $80.88 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $83.72. The firm has a market capitalization of $200.55 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.37, a PEG ratio of 0.84 and a beta of 0.38.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, July 29th. The company reported $2.13 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.03 by $0.10. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 41.05% and a net margin of 25.79%. The business had revenue of $15.81 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $15.92 billion. As a group, analysts forecast that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 earnings per share for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, October 7th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 15th will be issued a $0.81 dividend. This represents a $3.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.0%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 15th. Merck & Co., Inc.'s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 49.92%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have commented on MRK shares. Cantor Fitzgerald downgraded Merck & Co., Inc. from an "overweight" rating to a "cautious" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 20th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, April 25th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $97.00 to $90.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, July 30th. Guggenheim reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $115.00 price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Thursday, April 17th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reduced 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. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have assigned a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $107.44.

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.