KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS Buys 80,900 Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK)

KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS boosted its position in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 7.1% during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,228,070 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 80,900 shares during the quarter. Merck & Co., Inc. accounts for 0.5% of KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS's investment portfolio, making the stock its 25th biggest position. KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS's holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $111,057,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich increased its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 136.5% during the first quarter. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich now owns 2,626,227 shares of the company's stock worth $256,428,000 after acquiring an additional 1,515,855 shares during the last quarter. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH increased its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 1.6% during the first quarter. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH now owns 2,226,669 shares of the company's stock worth $199,866,000 after acquiring an additional 35,075 shares during the last quarter. Greenwood Gearhart Inc. increased its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 20.5% during the first quarter. Greenwood Gearhart Inc. now owns 137,005 shares of the company's stock worth $12,298,000 after acquiring an additional 23,355 shares during the last quarter. Hartford Funds Management Co LLC increased its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 11.2% during the first quarter. Hartford Funds Management Co LLC now owns 13,389 shares of the company's stock worth $1,202,000 after acquiring an additional 1,353 shares during the last quarter. Finally, PFG Advisors increased its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 19.1% during the first quarter. PFG Advisors now owns 31,653 shares of the company's stock worth $2,841,000 after acquiring an additional 5,071 shares during the last quarter. 76.07% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Performance

Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. stock traded up $0.24 during trading on Thursday, hitting $84.22. 8,009,022 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 15,884,091. The stock has a market capitalization of $211.48 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.26, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.85 and a beta of 0.39. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $79.66 and a 200-day moving average price of $85.52. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 1-year low of $73.31 and a 1-year high of $128.73. The company has a current ratio of 1.41, a quick ratio of 1.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The company reported $2.22 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.16 by $0.06. The business had revenue of $15.53 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $15.59 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 43.23% and a net margin of 27.27%. The firm's quarterly revenue was down 1.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $2.07 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, October 7th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 15th will be given a dividend of $0.81 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 15th. This represents a $3.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.85%. Merck & Co., Inc.'s payout ratio is 47.16%.

Insider Activity at Merck & Co., Inc.

In other news, SVP Dalton E. Smart III sold 4,262 shares of Merck & Co., Inc. stock in a transaction on Friday, April 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $82.76, for a total value of $352,723.12. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 7,778 shares in the company, valued at approximately $643,707.28. This trade represents a 35.40% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.13% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently issued reports 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. Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $99.00 to $98.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, July 10th. Guggenheim reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $115.00 price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Thursday, April 17th. Wall Street Zen cut Merck & Co., Inc. from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, April 25th. Finally, Citigroup reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and issued a $84.00 price target (down previously from $115.00) on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Wednesday, May 14th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have given a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $108.69.

Merck & Co., Inc. 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.