Linscomb Wealth Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 31.2% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 101,743 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 24,218 shares during the quarter. Linscomb Wealth Inc.'s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $9,132,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.
Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the business. Barnes Dennig Private Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. in the first quarter valued at about $27,000. MorganRosel Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the first quarter worth about $36,000. Spurstone Advisory Services LLC bought a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the fourth quarter worth about $37,000. Marshall & Sterling Wealth Advisors Inc. bought a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the fourth quarter worth about $44,000. Finally, Minot DeBlois Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the fourth quarter worth about $45,000. 76.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.
Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Up 0.3%
Merck & Co., Inc. stock traded up $0.26 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $80.29. The stock had a trading volume of 7,849,343 shares, compared to its average volume of 12,137,868. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 1.17 and a current ratio of 1.42. Merck & Co., Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $73.31 and a fifty-two week high of $120.30. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $80.88 and its 200-day simple moving average is $83.72. The firm has a market capitalization of $200.55 billion, a PE ratio of 12.37, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.84 and a beta of 0.38.
Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 29th. The company reported $2.13 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.03 by $0.10. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 41.05% and a net margin of 25.79%. The firm had revenue of $15.81 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $15.92 billion. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 EPS for the current fiscal 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 issued a $0.81 dividend. 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 (DPR) is currently 49.92%.
Wall Street Analyst Weigh In
MRK has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $99.00 to $98.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, July 10th. Cantor Fitzgerald downgraded Merck & Co., Inc. from an "overweight" rating to a "cautious" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 20th. Guggenheim restated a "buy" rating and set a $115.00 price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Thursday, April 17th. Citigroup restated a "neutral" rating and set a $84.00 price objective (down from $115.00) on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Wednesday, May 14th. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut Merck & Co., Inc. from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, April 25th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have issued 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, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $107.44.
View Our Latest Stock Analysis on Merck & Co., Inc.
Merck & Co., Inc. Company Profile
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Free Report)
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.
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