Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) Shares Acquired by Nemes Rush Group LLC

Key Points

• Nemes Rush Group LLC increased its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 6.8% in the first quarter, owning 134,426 shares valued at approximately $12.06 million.
• Merck reported $2.22 earnings per share (EPS) for the recent quarter, exceeding estimates, but its revenue dropped 1.6% year-over-year.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.81 per share, with a dividend yield of 3.82%, payable on October 7th to shareholders of record as of September 15th.

Nemes Rush Group LLC raised its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 6.8% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 134,426 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 8,587 shares during the period. Merck & Co., Inc. accounts for approximately 1.5% of Nemes Rush Group LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 21st biggest holding. Nemes Rush Group LLC's holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $12,066,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. FSB Premier Wealth Management Inc. increased its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 5.8% during the fourth quarter. FSB Premier Wealth Management Inc. now owns 2,283 shares of the company's stock worth $227,000 after buying an additional 125 shares during the last quarter. Foundation Wealth Management LLC PA lifted its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.4% in the first quarter. Foundation Wealth Management LLC PA now owns 5,361 shares of the company's stock valued at $481,000 after buying an additional 127 shares during the period. Tilson Financial Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.7% in the first quarter. Tilson Financial Group Inc. now owns 4,965 shares of the company's stock valued at $446,000 after buying an additional 132 shares during the period. Perkins Coie Trust Co lifted its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.3% during the first quarter. Perkins Coie Trust Co now owns 6,021 shares of the company's stock worth $540,000 after purchasing an additional 136 shares during the period. Finally, Forza Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 1.3% during the first quarter. Forza Wealth Management LLC now owns 10,761 shares of the company's stock worth $966,000 after purchasing an additional 138 shares during the period. 76.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Down 3.9%

Merck & Co., Inc. stock traded down $3.22 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $78.54. The stock had a trading volume of 9,322,478 shares, compared to its average volume of 15,838,211. The company has a quick ratio of 1.16, a current ratio of 1.41 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. The stock has a market capitalization of $197.20 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.11, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.84 and a beta of 0.39. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 12-month low of $73.31 and a 12-month high of $120.30. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $80.37 and its 200-day moving average price is $84.96.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, July 29th. The company reported $2.13 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.03 by $0.10. The company had revenue of $15.81 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $15.92 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 25.79% and a return on equity of 41.63%. Equities research analysts anticipate that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, October 7th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 15th will be issued a $0.81 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 15th. This represents a $3.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.13%. Merck & Co., Inc.'s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 49.92%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on MRK. Guggenheim reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $115.00 target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Thursday, April 17th. Citigroup reissued 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. Morgan Stanley cut their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $99.00 to $98.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, July 10th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, April 25th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $97.00 to $90.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have assigned a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $107.44.

About Merck & Co., Inc.

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.