Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK Stock: Calamos Advisors LLC Raises Holdings

Key Points

• Calamos Advisors increased its Merck stake 22.9% in the third quarter, adding 149,113 shares to hold 799,616 shares valued at about $116.2 million. Institutional investors collectively own 76.07% of the stock.
• Merck reported quarterly EPS of $2.49, beating estimates of $2.09, and revenue of $18.09 billion, up 4.7% year over year.
• Analysts maintain a “Moderate Buy” consensus, with an average price target of $155.74; 17 analysts rate the stock Buy or Strong Buy, 11 Hold, and one Sell.

Calamos Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 22.9% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 799,616 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 149,113 shares during the quarter. Calamos Advisors LLC's holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $116,192,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in MRK. BlackRock Inc. grew its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.5% in the 2nd quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 226,999,837 shares of the company's stock valued at $29,169,479,000 after purchasing an additional 1,073,507 shares during the period. State Street Corp increased its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.9% during the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 120,413,256 shares of the company's stock worth $15,573,754,000 after acquiring an additional 1,087,583 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.3% during the second quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 86,249,283 shares of the company's stock worth $11,083,033,000 after acquiring an additional 1,934,312 shares in the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE raised its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 10.5% in the first quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 30,774,221 shares of the company's stock worth $3,701,831,000 after purchasing an additional 2,919,780 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 23.8% during the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 15,456,039 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,858,938,000 after acquiring an additional 2,969,856 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 76.07% of the company's stock.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Down 0.0%

Shares of MRK traded down $0.04 on Friday, hitting $146.90. 7,626,136 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 10,275,775. The company has a market capitalization of $362.42 billion, a PE ratio of 151.44, a P/E/G ratio of 6.70 and a beta of 0.13. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a current ratio of 1.32. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $146.39 and a 200 day simple moving average of $127.63. Merck & Co., Inc. has a one year low of $85.24 and a one year high of $156.92.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, October 29th. The company reported $2.49 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates 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 during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $17.33 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $2.58 EPS. The company's quarterly revenue was up 4.7% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 2.84 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Chirfi Guindo sold 10,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $135.00, for a total transaction of $1,350,000.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 36,613 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,942,755. This trade represents a 21.45% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Jennifer Zachary sold 80,315 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $133.46, for a total transaction of $10,718,839.90. Following the transaction, 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. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 135,635 shares of company stock valued at $18,011,040. 0.17% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have weighed in on MRK. Argus began coverage on Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Tuesday. They issued a "strong-buy" rating on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $165.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, October 30th. HSBC upped their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $150.00 to $172.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, September 10th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price target on 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, Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $179.00 to $177.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, October 7th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have assigned a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $155.74.

About Merck & Co., Inc.

Merck & Co, Inc is a global pharmaceutical company that develops and markets prescription medicines, vaccines, biologic therapies and animal-health products. The company's research and commercial activities span areas including oncology, infectious diseases, vaccines, cardiovascular disease and immunology. Its products include the cancer medicine Keytruda and the Gardasil vaccine.

Founded in the United States in 1891, Merck & Co became an independent company in 1917. It is headquartered in Rahway, New Jersey, and operates internationally.

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