Parr Mcknight Wealth Management Group LLC Invests $3.69 Million in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK)

Parr Mcknight Wealth Management Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 37,138 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,694,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of MRK. Sunbelt Securities Inc. grew its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 54.3% during the 4th quarter. Sunbelt Securities Inc. now owns 78,763 shares of the company's stock worth $7,748,000 after buying an additional 27,707 shares during the last quarter. Fourth Dimension Wealth LLC purchased a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $103,000. Breed s Hill Capital LLC raised its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 31.6% during the fourth quarter. Breed s Hill Capital LLC now owns 5,612 shares of the company's stock worth $558,000 after purchasing an additional 1,349 shares during the last quarter. Vise Technologies Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 36.1% during the fourth quarter. Vise Technologies Inc. now owns 38,518 shares of the company's stock worth $3,832,000 after purchasing an additional 10,212 shares during the period. Finally, Retirement Planning Group LLC grew its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 29.2% in the 4th quarter. Retirement Planning Group LLC now owns 4,521 shares of the company's stock valued at $450,000 after buying an additional 1,022 shares during the last quarter. 76.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have commented on MRK shares. Morgan Stanley cut their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $113.00 to $106.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, February 5th. Citigroup reissued a "neutral" rating and set a $84.00 price target (down from $115.00) on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Wednesday, May 14th. Guggenheim restated a "buy" rating and issued a $115.00 price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Thursday, April 17th. Wall Street Zen downgraded Merck & Co., Inc. from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, April 25th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets reduced their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $105.00 to $96.00 and set a "market perform" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have issued a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and three have assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Merck & Co., Inc. has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $109.19.

Merck & Co., Inc. Trading Up 1.1%

Merck & Co., Inc. stock opened at $77.81 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $82.10 and a 200 day moving average price of $91.63. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 52 week low of $73.31 and a 52 week high of $134.63. The stock has a market cap of $195.38 billion, a PE ratio of 11.56, a P/E/G ratio of 0.77 and a beta of 0.43. The company has a current ratio of 1.36, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.79.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The company reported $2.22 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.16 by $0.06. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 26.67% and a return on equity of 45.35%. The business had revenue of $15.53 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $15.59 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $2.07 earnings per share. The company's quarterly revenue was down 1.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts predict that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock buyback plan on Tuesday, January 28th that authorizes the company to buyback $10.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the company to purchase up to 4.1% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are often a sign that the company's leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, SVP Dalton E. Smart III sold 4,262 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, April 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $82.76, for a total value of $352,723.12. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 7,778 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $643,707.28. This trade represents a 35.40% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 0.13% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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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