Prudential PLC Buys 31,758 Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK)

Key Points

• Prudential PLC increased its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 10.2%, acquiring an additional 31,758 shares, bringing its total holdings to 341,810 shares valued at approximately $30.68 million.
• Merck & Co., Inc. reported an earnings per share (EPS) of $2.13 for the last quarter, exceeding analysts' expectations by $0.10, but falling short on revenue, with $15.81 billion compared to estimates of $15.92 billion.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.81 per share, translating to an annualized dividend of $3.24 and a yield of 4.0%, with the payment date set for October 7th.

Prudential PLC raised its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 10.2% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 341,810 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 31,758 shares during the quarter. Prudential PLC's holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $30,681,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in MRK. Foundation Wealth Management LLC PA increased its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.4% during the 1st quarter. Foundation Wealth Management LLC PA now owns 5,361 shares of the company's stock valued at $481,000 after purchasing an additional 127 shares during the period. Saiph Capital LLC grew its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 3.7% during the first quarter. Saiph Capital LLC now owns 3,565 shares of the company's stock worth $320,000 after acquiring an additional 128 shares during the period. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC raised 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 acquiring an additional 130 shares in the last quarter. Tilson Financial Group Inc. lifted its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.7% in the 1st quarter. Tilson Financial Group Inc. now owns 4,965 shares of the company's stock valued at $446,000 after acquiring an additional 132 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Perkins Coie Trust Co lifted its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.3% in the 1st quarter. Perkins Coie Trust Co now owns 6,021 shares of the company's stock valued at $540,000 after acquiring an additional 136 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.07% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have recently commented on MRK. Guggenheim reiterated 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 previously from $115.00) on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Wednesday, May 14th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $97.00 to $90.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, July 30th. Cantor Fitzgerald lowered shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from an "overweight" rating to a "cautious" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 20th. Finally, Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $99.00 to $98.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, July 10th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have assigned a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $107.44.

Merck & Co., Inc. Trading Down 0.7%

MRK stock opened at $80.09 on Tuesday. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 52 week low of $73.31 and a 52 week high of $120.30. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 1.17 and a current ratio of 1.42. The company's 50-day simple moving average is $80.82 and its 200 day simple moving average is $83.75. The company has a market capitalization of $200.05 billion, a PE ratio of 12.34, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.85 and a beta of 0.38.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 29th. The company reported $2.13 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates 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 return on equity of 41.05% and a net margin of 25.79%. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 earnings per share for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, October 7th. Investors of record on Monday, September 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.81 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 15th. This represents a $3.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.0%. Merck & Co., Inc.'s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 49.92%.

About Merck & Co., Inc.

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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