Ruffer LLP Has $8.14 Million Position in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK)

Key Points

• Ruffer LLP increased its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 24.8% during the first quarter, owning a total of 90,727 shares worth approximately $8.14 million.
• Merck's recent earnings report revealed earnings per share of $2.13, exceeding expectations, though the company's revenue fell slightly short of estimates at $15.81 billion.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.81, resulting in an annual yield of 4.1%, with an upcoming payment date of October 7th.

Ruffer LLP increased its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 24.8% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 90,727 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 18,055 shares during the quarter. Ruffer LLP's holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $8,143,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Barnes Dennig Private Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. during the first quarter valued at about $27,000. Spurstone Advisory Services LLC bought a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. during the 4th quarter worth about $37,000. Hurley Capital LLC acquired a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $40,000. MorganRosel Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the 1st quarter worth $36,000. Finally, Marshall & Sterling Wealth Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the 4th quarter worth about $44,000. 76.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MRK has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Guggenheim reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $115.00 price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Thursday, April 17th. 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. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on shares of 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. Cantor Fitzgerald downgraded Merck & Co., Inc. from an "overweight" rating to a "cautious" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 20th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $97.00 to $90.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, July 30th. One equities research 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. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $107.44.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Performance

MRK traded up $0.36 during trading on Friday, hitting $80.73. The stock had a trading volume of 6,813,735 shares, compared to its average volume of 15,703,837. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 1.42 and a quick ratio of 1.16. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $80.66 and a 200-day moving average price of $84.13. Merck & Co., Inc. has a one year low of $73.31 and a one year high of $120.30. The firm has a market cap of $201.65 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.44, a P/E/G ratio of 0.84 and a beta of 0.38.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 29th. The company reported $2.13 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.03 by $0.10. The business had revenue of $15.81 billion for 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 41.05%. As a group, research analysts predict that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 EPS for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

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. This represents a $3.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.0%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 15th. Merck & Co., Inc.'s dividend payout ratio is presently 49.92%.

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.