MOKAN Wealth Management Inc. Purchases 5,426 Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK)

MOKAN Wealth Management Inc. grew its position in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 13.8% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 44,821 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 5,426 shares during the period. Merck & Co., Inc. accounts for approximately 2.4% of MOKAN Wealth Management Inc.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 12th largest holding. MOKAN Wealth Management Inc.'s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $4,023,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in MRK. Noble Wealth Management PBC bought a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the fourth quarter valued at about $28,000. Promus Capital LLC bought a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the fourth quarter worth approximately $30,000. TruNorth Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 83.7% during the fourth quarter. TruNorth Capital Management LLC now owns 316 shares of the company's stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 144 shares during the period. Finally, WealthTrak Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. in the 4th quarter valued at $35,000. Institutional investors own 76.07% of the company's stock.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Performance

NYSE MRK traded down $0.73 during trading on Thursday, hitting $78.94. 13,735,255 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 13,138,041. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 1.16 and a current ratio of 1.41. The stock has a market capitalization of $198.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.23, a PEG ratio of 0.83 and a beta of 0.38. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 12-month low of $73.31 and a 12-month high of $132.29. The business has a 50 day moving average of $79.02 and a 200-day moving average of $88.05.

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

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, July 8th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 16th will be paid a $0.81 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 16th. This represents a $3.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.10%. Merck & Co., Inc.'s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 47.16%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on MRK shares. Cantor Fitzgerald cut Merck & Co., Inc. from an "overweight" rating to a "cautious" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 20th. Guggenheim reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $115.00 price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Thursday, April 17th. Wall Street Zen downgraded Merck & Co., Inc. from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, April 25th. Finally, Citigroup reiterated a "neutral" rating and set a $84.00 price target (down previously from $115.00) on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Wednesday, May 14th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have assigned a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $109.19.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Merck & Co., Inc. news, SVP Dalton E. Smart III sold 4,262 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 7,778 shares in the company, valued at approximately $643,707.28. The trade was a 35.40% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.13% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.