Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd Purchases 14,795 Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK)

Key Points

• Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd significantly increased its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 184,937.5% during the 1st quarter, owning 14,803 shares worth approximately $1.33 million.
• Merck’s stock has a market capitalization of $207.83 billion and reported a quarterly EPS of $2.13, exceeding analysts' expectations of $2.03.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.81 per share, representing an annualized yield of 3.91%, with a dividend payout ratio of 47.16%.

Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd boosted its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 184,937.5% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 14,803 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 14,795 shares during the quarter. Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd's holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $1,328,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Barnes Dennig Private Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. in the 1st quarter valued at about $27,000. Spurstone Advisory Services LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $37,000. Hurley Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the 4th quarter worth approximately $40,000. MorganRosel Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the 1st quarter worth approximately $36,000. Finally, Marshall & Sterling Wealth Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the 4th quarter worth approximately $44,000. 76.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Merck & Co., Inc. Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:MRK traded up $0.49 during trading on Friday, hitting $78.61. 2,170,250 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 15,814,231. The business's 50 day moving average is $80.37 and its 200-day moving average is $84.80. The company has a market capitalization of $197.39 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.09, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.83 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. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 1-year low of $73.31 and a 1-year high of $120.30.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 29th. The company reported $2.13 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.03 by $0.10. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 25.79% and a return on equity of 41.63%. The company had revenue of $15.81 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $15.92 billion. Equities analysts forecast that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 earnings per share for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, October 7th. Investors of record on Monday, September 15th will be paid a $0.81 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 15th. This represents a $3.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.1%. Merck & Co., Inc.'s payout ratio is currently 49.92%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on MRK shares. Guggenheim reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $115.00 price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Thursday, April 17th. Cantor Fitzgerald cut shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from an "overweight" rating to a "cautious" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 20th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $97.00 to $90.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, April 25th. Finally, Morgan Stanley cut their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $99.00 to $98.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, July 10th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have given a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $107.44.

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.