Johnson Financial Group LLC Takes Position in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK)

Key Points

• Johnson Financial Group LLC has acquired 3,859 shares of Merck & Co., Inc., valued at approximately $346,000, as reported in its Form 13F filing.
• Several institutional investors increased their stakes in Merck, with Brighton Jones LLC raising its holdings by 29.5% in the fourth quarter.
• Merck & Co., Inc. has announced a quarterly dividend of $0.81 per share, with a dividend yield of 4.0%, set to be paid on October 7th.

Johnson Financial Group LLC acquired a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) in the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 3,859 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $346,000.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Benjamin Edwards Inc. grew its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 13.6% during the 1st quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. now owns 444,627 shares of the company's stock worth $39,910,000 after purchasing an additional 53,177 shares during the period. Koss Olinger Consulting LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the 1st quarter worth about $420,000. Lcnb Corp grew its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 44.7% in the 1st quarter. Lcnb Corp now owns 28,730 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,579,000 after acquiring an additional 8,877 shares in the last quarter. Cynosure Group LLC grew its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 18.9% in the 1st quarter. Cynosure Group LLC now owns 4,215 shares of the company's stock valued at $378,000 after acquiring an additional 671 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Donoghue Forlines LLC acquired a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the first quarter worth about $1,399,000. 76.07% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Merck & Co., Inc. Price Performance

Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. stock traded down $0.60 during trading on Monday, hitting $80.09. The stock had a trading volume of 8,209,944 shares, compared to its average volume of 12,245,771. Merck & Co., Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $73.31 and a fifty-two week high of $120.30. The firm has a market cap of $200.05 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.34, a PEG ratio of 0.85 and a beta of 0.38. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 1.42 and a quick ratio of 1.17. The business has a fifty day moving average of $80.74 and a two-hundred day moving average of $83.86.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 29th. The company reported $2.13 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.03 by $0.10. The firm had revenue of $15.81 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $15.92 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 41.05% and a net margin of 25.79%. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. Wall Street Zen cut Merck & Co., Inc. from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, April 25th. Guggenheim reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $115.00 price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Thursday, April 17th. Cantor Fitzgerald lowered Merck & Co., Inc. from an "overweight" rating to a "cautious" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 20th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $97.00 to $90.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, July 30th. Finally, Citigroup reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and issued a $84.00 target price (down from $115.00) on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Wednesday, May 14th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have given a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average 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.