Lcnb Corp Boosts Stock Holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK)

Key Points

• Lcnb Corp increased its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 44.7%, owning $2.58 million worth of the stock, which is 0.9% of its investment portfolio.
• Merck recently announced a quarterly dividend of $0.81, resulting in an annualized dividend yield of 4.0% and a payout ratio of 49.92%.
• Merck's recent earnings report showed a profit of $2.13 per share, beating estimates, with a revenue of $15.81 billion, slightly below analyst expectations of $15.92 billion.

Lcnb Corp grew its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 44.7% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 28,730 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 8,877 shares during the period. Merck & Co., Inc. comprises about 0.9% of Lcnb Corp's investment portfolio, making the stock its 24th biggest holding. Lcnb Corp's holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $2,579,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the business. Foundation Wealth Management LLC PA raised its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.4% in the 1st 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 boosted its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.6% during the first quarter. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC now owns 5,197 shares of the company's stock worth $466,000 after buying an additional 130 shares during the period. Tilson Financial Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.7% during the first quarter. Tilson Financial Group Inc. now owns 4,965 shares of the company's stock valued at $446,000 after purchasing an additional 132 shares during the period. Perkins Coie Trust Co raised its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.3% in the first quarter. Perkins Coie Trust Co now owns 6,021 shares of the company's stock valued at $540,000 after acquiring an additional 136 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Forza Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 1.3% in the first 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. Price Performance

Merck & Co., Inc. stock traded up $0.26 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $80.29. The stock had a trading volume of 7,849,343 shares, compared to its average volume of 15,616,303. The firm has a market capitalization of $200.55 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.37, a P/E/G ratio of 0.85 and a beta of 0.38. The company has a current ratio of 1.42, a quick ratio of 1.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. The firm's 50 day moving average is $80.82 and its 200 day moving average is $83.75. Merck & Co., Inc. has a one year low of $73.31 and a one 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 (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.03 by $0.10. The company had revenue of $15.81 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $15.92 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 25.79% and a return on equity of 41.05%. On average, sell-side analysts forecast 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 announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, October 7th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.81 per share. This represents a $3.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 15th. Merck & Co., Inc.'s dividend payout ratio is presently 49.92%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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