Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK Stock Acquired by Compass Financial Management LLC

Key Points

• Compass Financial Management increased its Merck stake by 256.3% in the third quarter, adding 7,001 shares to reach 9,733 shares valued at about $1.414 million.
• Merck reported quarterly EPS of $2.49, beating the $2.09 consensus estimate, and revenue of $18.09 billion, above expectations and up 4.7% year over year.
• Analysts’ consensus rating is Moderate Buy, with an average price target of $155.74; recent coverage included an Argus “strong buy” rating.

Compass Financial Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 256.3% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 9,733 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 7,001 shares during the quarter. Compass Financial Management LLC's holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $1,414,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in MRK. Round Rock Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.7% in the 2nd quarter. Round Rock Advisors LLC now owns 9,901 shares of the company's stock worth $1,272,000 after purchasing an additional 66 shares in the last quarter. Cypress Wealth Services LLC raised its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.5% during the 3rd quarter. Cypress Wealth Services LLC now owns 13,807 shares of the company's stock worth $1,960,000 after acquiring an additional 69 shares during the period. Code Waechter LLC lifted its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 3.4% during the 3rd quarter. Code Waechter LLC now owns 2,179 shares of the company's stock valued at $317,000 after buying an additional 71 shares in the last quarter. Cascade Financial Partners LLC boosted its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.5% in the second quarter. Cascade Financial Partners LLC now owns 14,746 shares of the company's stock worth $1,895,000 after acquiring an additional 80 shares during the period. Finally, Somerset Trust Co raised its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.9% during the second quarter. Somerset Trust Co now owns 8,701 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,118,000 after buying an additional 81 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 76.07% of the company's stock.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Down 2.4%

MRK stock opened at $146.76 on Friday. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $146.45 and its 200-day simple moving average is $127.45. The company has a market capitalization of $362.08 billion, a P/E ratio of 151.30, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.83 and a beta of 0.13. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 12 month low of $84.35 and a 12 month high of $156.92. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22, a current ratio of 1.32 and a quick ratio of 1.10.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 29th. The company reported $2.49 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.09 by $0.40. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 16.56% and a net margin of 3.64%. The business had revenue of $18.09 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $17.33 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $2.58 EPS. The business's quarterly revenue was up 4.7% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 2.85 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Richard R. Deluca sold 20,784 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $130.43, for a total value of $2,710,857.12. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 134,703 shares in the company, valued at approximately $17,569,312.29. This represents a 13.37% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Jennifer Zachary sold 80,315 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $133.46, for a total value of $10,718,839.90. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 45,509 shares of the company's stock, valued at $6,073,631.14. The trade was a 63.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 135,635 shares of company stock worth $18,011,040. 0.17% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MRK has been the subject of a number of research reports. Leerink Partners increased their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $127.00 to $161.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 9th. Argus initiated coverage on Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Tuesday. They set a "strong-buy" rating for the company. TD Cowen lifted their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $137.00 to $155.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 23rd. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $140.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, August 21st. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada dropped their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $145.00 to $140.00 and set a "sector perform" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, October 30th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have given a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Merck & Co., Inc. presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $155.74.

More Merck & Co., Inc. News

Here are the key news stories impacting Merck & Co., Inc. this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Argus initiated coverage with a “strong buy” rating. Other coverage also cited a Wall Street “moderate buy” consensus and bullish forecasts, including a Cantor Fitzgerald price-target increase; the reports provided no target details. Read More., Read More., Read More., Read More..
• Positive Sentiment: Keytruda and Gardasil sales increased in the third quarter, providing support for revenue growth. Read More..
• Neutral Sentiment: A Baron Capital investor letter characterized business development as supporting Merck’s next growth phase, but the supplied excerpt gives no specific deal or forecast details. Read More..
• Negative Sentiment: Growth durability remains a concern: the Zacks report flags inventory reversals, slowing demand and looming competition as potential challenges to Keytruda and Gardasil momentum. Read More..

About Merck & Co., Inc.

Merck & Co, Inc is a global healthcare company that develops, manufactures and markets prescription medicines, vaccines and animal-health products. Its pharmaceutical business focuses on oncology, infectious diseases, cardiology, immunology and other areas of significant medical need. The company serves patients, healthcare providers and institutions in markets worldwide.

Merck's principal products include Keytruda, an immunotherapy used to treat a range of cancers; Gardasil and Gardasil 9, vaccines that help protect against human papillomavirus; and Januvia and Janumet, medicines used to manage type 2 diabetes.

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