Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK Stock Sold by Alps Advisors Inc.

Key Points

• Alps Advisors cut its Merck stake by 43.7% in the third quarter, selling 197,930 shares and retaining 254,734 shares valued at about $37 million.
• Merck executives sold shares recently: insiders collectively sold 135,635 shares worth about $18 million in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.07% of the company.
• Merck beat quarterly expectations, reporting EPS of $2.49 versus analysts’ $2.09 estimate and revenue of $18.09 billion, up 4.7% year over year. Analysts’ consensus rating is “Moderate Buy,” with a $155.74 price target.

Alps Advisors Inc. cut its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 43.7% in the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 254,734 shares of the company's stock after selling 197,930 shares during the period. Alps Advisors Inc.'s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $37,015,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Curry Webb Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the 3rd quarter valued at about $29,000. Horizons Wealth Management acquired a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the 3rd quarter worth about $30,000. Bullseye Investment Management LLC bought a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. in the second quarter valued at about $27,000. Graney & King LLC lifted its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 400.0% during the 2nd quarter. Graney & King LLC now owns 250 shares of the company's stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Foresight Capital Management Advisors Inc. bought a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the third quarter worth approximately $43,000. 76.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Merck & Co., Inc. news, EVP Chirfi Guindo sold 10,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $135.00, for a total value of $1,350,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 36,613 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,942,755. The trade was a 21.45% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Jennifer Zachary sold 80,315 shares of Merck & Co., Inc. stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the executive vice president owned 45,509 shares of the company's stock, valued at $6,073,631.14. The trade was a 63.83% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 135,635 shares of company stock valued at $18,011,040 in the last quarter. Insiders own 0.17% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have commented on MRK. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $152.00 to $175.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, August 20th. Morgan Stanley cut their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $179.00 to $177.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, October 7th. Daiwa Securities Group upgraded Merck & Co., Inc. from a "neutral" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $143.00 target price on the stock in a report on Wednesday, August 12th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $142.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, August 20th. Finally, UBS Group upped their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $145.00 to $175.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, August 20th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have assigned a Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $155.74.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Performance

NYSE MRK opened at $146.90 on Friday. The business's 50-day moving average price is $146.39 and its 200 day moving average price is $127.63. The company has a quick ratio of 1.10, a current ratio of 1.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 52-week low of $85.24 and a 52-week high of $156.92. The firm has a market cap of $362.42 billion, a P/E ratio of 151.44, a P/E/G ratio of 6.70 and a beta of 0.13.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 29th. The company reported $2.49 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.09 by $0.40. The company had revenue of $18.09 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations 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 in the previous year, the company posted $2.58 EPS. On average, equities research analysts expect that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 2.84 earnings per share for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Company Profile

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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