Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) Stake Cut by US Bancorp DE

Key Points

• US Bancorp DE reduced its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 5.0%, owning 1,817,474 shares with a value of $163.14 million after the sale.
• Merck & Co. reported $2.13 EPS for the last quarter, exceeding estimates, while its revenue was slightly below expectations at $15.81 billion.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.81 to be paid on October 7th, representing an annual yield of 4.1%.

US Bancorp DE cut its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 5.0% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 1,817,474 shares of the company's stock after selling 94,723 shares during the quarter. US Bancorp DE owned 0.07% of Merck & Co., Inc. worth $163,137,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MRK. Foundation Wealth Management LLC PA increased its position in 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 worth $481,000 after buying an additional 127 shares during the period. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC increased its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.6% in the first quarter. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC now owns 5,197 shares of the company's stock worth $466,000 after buying an additional 130 shares during the period. Tilson Financial Group Inc. increased its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.7% in the first quarter. Tilson Financial Group Inc. now owns 4,965 shares of the company's stock worth $446,000 after buying an additional 132 shares during the period. Perkins Coie Trust Co increased its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.3% in the first quarter. Perkins Coie Trust Co now owns 6,021 shares of the company's stock worth $540,000 after buying an additional 136 shares during the period. Finally, Forza Wealth Management LLC increased its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 1.3% in the first quarter. Forza Wealth Management LLC now owns 10,761 shares of the company's stock worth $966,000 after buying an additional 138 shares during the period. 76.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Merck & Co., Inc. Trading Down 4.4%

Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. stock opened at $78.17 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $196.29 billion, a PE ratio of 12.04, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.83 and a beta of 0.39. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 1.41 and a quick ratio of 1.16. The company's fifty day moving average price is $80.37 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $84.80. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 52-week low of $73.31 and a 52-week high of $120.30.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly 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 firm 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 41.63%. On average, analysts expect that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 EPS for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, October 7th. Investors of record on Monday, September 15th will be paid a $0.81 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 15th. This represents a $3.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.1%. Merck & Co., Inc.'s payout ratio is currently 49.92%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have weighed in on MRK. Citigroup reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and issued a $84.00 target price (down from $115.00) on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Wednesday, May 14th. Guggenheim reissued 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 lowered 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 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. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $97.00 to $90.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have given a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $107.44.

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.

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