Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) Shares Sold by Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC

Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC trimmed its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 29.3% during the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,044,722 shares of the company's stock after selling 432,956 shares during the period. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC's holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $91,016,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. BSW Wealth Partners lifted its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 4.8% during the first quarter. BSW Wealth Partners now owns 18,826 shares of the company's stock worth $1,690,000 after purchasing an additional 863 shares in the last quarter. Elevated Capital Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 8.6% during the first quarter. Elevated Capital Advisors LLC now owns 10,878 shares of the company's stock worth $976,000 after purchasing an additional 866 shares in the last quarter. Gold Investment Management Ltd. lifted its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.3% during the first quarter. Gold Investment Management Ltd. now owns 15,339 shares of the company's stock worth $1,377,000 after purchasing an additional 346 shares in the last quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. lifted its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 84.8% during the first quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 1,800,643 shares of the company's stock worth $160,907,000 after purchasing an additional 826,385 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Lafayette Investments Inc. lifted its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 30.9% during the first quarter. Lafayette Investments Inc. now owns 9,044 shares of the company's stock worth $812,000 after purchasing an additional 2,136 shares in the last quarter. 76.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Performance

Shares of MRK stock opened at $78.93 on Friday. The stock's 50-day moving average is $79.06 and its two-hundred day moving average is $87.64. The firm has a market cap of $198.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.49, a PEG ratio of 0.82 and a beta of 0.38. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 1 year low of $73.31 and a 1 year high of $129.93. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 1.16 and a current ratio of 1.41.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 24th. The company reported $2.22 earnings per share (EPS) 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 analyst estimates of $15.59 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 43.23% and a net margin of 27.27%. The business's quarterly revenue was down 1.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $2.07 earnings per share. Analysts predict that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 earnings per share for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, July 8th. Investors of record on Monday, June 16th will be issued a dividend of $0.81 per share. This represents a $3.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.10%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 16th. Merck & Co., Inc.'s dividend payout ratio is currently 47.16%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, SVP Dalton E. Smart III sold 4,262 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Friday, April 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $82.76, for a total transaction of $352,723.12. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 7,778 shares of the company's stock, valued at $643,707.28. This trade represents a 35.40% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.13% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

Merck & Co., Inc. Company 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.

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