Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK Stock Position Increased by Trek Financial LLC

Key Points

• Trek Financial LLC increased its Merck stake by 396.5% in the third quarter, bringing its holdings to 42,611 shares valued at approximately $6.2 million. Institutional investors collectively own 76.07% of Merck’s stock.
• Analyst sentiment remains positive, with a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $156.48. Goldman Sachs and BMO Capital Markets recently raised their price targets to $160 and $170, respectively.
• Merck exceeded quarterly expectations, reporting $2.49 in earnings per share versus the $2.09 estimate and revenue of $18.09 billion versus $17.33 billion expected. However, insiders sold nearly $30 million worth of shares over the past 90 days.

Trek Financial LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 396.5% in the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 42,611 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 34,028 shares during the period. Trek Financial LLC's holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $6,192,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. True Freedom Investing LLC lifted its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 1.4% in the third quarter. True Freedom Investing LLC now owns 57,475 shares of the company's stock valued at $8,352,000 after acquiring an additional 799 shares during the period. Pinnacle Financial Group LLC IL acquired a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $263,000. Virtue Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 4.0% during the 3rd quarter. Virtue Capital Management LLC now owns 6,226 shares of the company's stock valued at $905,000 after purchasing an additional 241 shares in the last quarter. Greenleaf Trust increased its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 16.5% during the 3rd quarter. Greenleaf Trust now owns 94,749 shares of the company's stock valued at $13,768,000 after purchasing an additional 13,454 shares in the last quarter. Finally, DecisionMap Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 13.2% during the third quarter. DecisionMap Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,884 shares of the company's stock worth $274,000 after buying an additional 220 shares in the last quarter. 76.07% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on the company. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $140.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, August 21st. Wall Street Zen lowered Merck & Co., Inc. from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, October 3rd. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $142.00 to $170.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, August 20th. Sanford C. Bernstein upped their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $100.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 4th. Finally, Rothschild & Co Redburn increased their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $140.00 to $145.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, July 6th. Seventeen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $156.48.

Merck & Co., Inc. Price Performance

MRK stock opened at $149.75 on Monday. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 1 year low of $82.01 and a 1 year 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. The firm has a market capitalization of $369.46 billion, a PE ratio of 154.38, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.48 and a beta of 0.21. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $146.90 and a 200-day simple moving average of $126.69.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 29th. The company reported $2.49 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.09 by $0.40. The business had revenue of $18.09 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $17.33 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 3.64% and a return on equity of 16.56%. The business's revenue was up 4.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $2.58 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 2.81 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Merck & Co., Inc.

In related news, EVP Richard R. Deluca sold 11,699 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $131.63, for a total value of $1,539,939.37. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 110,167 shares of the company's stock, valued at $14,501,282.21. This trade represents a 9.60% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Chirfi Guindo sold 10,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $135.00, for a total transaction of $1,350,000.00. Following the transaction, 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 disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 228,238 shares of company stock valued at $29,977,783. Insiders own 0.17% of the company's stock.

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.