Northwest & Ethical Investments L.P. Purchases 84,063 Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK)

Key Points

• Northwest & Ethical Investments L.P. increased its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 28.8%, purchasing an additional 84,063 shares, bringing its total to 375,692 shares worth $33.72 million.
• Merck recently reported $2.13 EPS for the quarter, exceeding expectations, despite revenue slightly below consensus at $15.81 billion.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.81 per share, with a 3.8% yield and a dividend payout ratio of 49.92%.

Northwest & Ethical Investments L.P. increased its position in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 28.8% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 375,692 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 84,063 shares during the period. Merck & Co., Inc. comprises approximately 0.9% of Northwest & Ethical Investments L.P.'s holdings, making the stock its 19th largest position. Northwest & Ethical Investments L.P.'s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $33,722,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Round Hill Asset Management boosted its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 6.1% in the 1st quarter. Round Hill Asset Management now owns 76,300 shares of the company's stock worth $6,849,000 after buying an additional 4,365 shares during the period. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC boosted its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 1.5% in the 1st quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 491,517 shares of the company's stock worth $44,119,000 after buying an additional 7,481 shares during the period. Roberts Capital Advisors LLC bought a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. in the 1st quarter worth $551,000. AR Asset Management Inc. boosted its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 15.9% in the 1st quarter. AR Asset Management Inc. now owns 155,470 shares of the company's stock worth $13,955,000 after buying an additional 21,300 shares during the period. Finally, Forvis Mazars Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 5.9% in the 1st quarter. Forvis Mazars Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 53,834 shares of the company's stock worth $4,832,000 after buying an additional 3,014 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 76.07% of the company's stock.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Up 1.9%

Shares of NYSE:MRK opened at $84.35 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.42, a quick ratio of 1.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 12 month low of $73.31 and a 12 month high of $120.30. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $81.18 and a 200 day moving average price of $83.42. The company has a market cap of $210.69 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.00, a PEG ratio of 0.89 and a beta of 0.38.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results 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 net margin of 25.79% and a return on equity of 41.05%. The firm had revenue of $15.81 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $15.92 billion. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 earnings per share for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, October 7th. Shareholders 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 3.8%. Merck & Co., Inc.'s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 49.92%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Cantor Fitzgerald downgraded shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from an "overweight" rating to a "cautious" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 20th. Citigroup reiterated a "neutral" rating and issued a $84.00 price target (down previously from $115.00) on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Wednesday, May 14th. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $99.00 to $98.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note 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 note on Friday, April 25th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $97.00 to $90.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, July 30th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have given a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently 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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