Quilter Plc Has $105.99 Million Holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK)

Quilter Plc raised its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 5.6% in the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 1,180,797 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 62,933 shares during the period. Merck & Co., Inc. accounts for about 2.2% of Quilter Plc's investment portfolio, making the stock its 15th largest position. Quilter Plc's holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $105,988,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Paragon Capital Management Inc. raised its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 20.1% during the first quarter. Paragon Capital Management Inc. now owns 17,988 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,615,000 after buying an additional 3,013 shares in the last quarter. Jaffetilchin Investment Partners LLC increased its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 4.7% during the 1st quarter. Jaffetilchin Investment Partners LLC now owns 30,760 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,761,000 after acquiring an additional 1,370 shares during the last quarter. Old North State Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 11.7% in the 1st quarter. Old North State Wealth Management LLC now owns 16,938 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,522,000 after acquiring an additional 1,771 shares in the last quarter. Diversified Trust Co raised its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 12.8% in the 1st quarter. Diversified Trust Co now owns 182,721 shares of the company's stock valued at $16,401,000 after acquiring an additional 20,757 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Alta Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 18.0% in the 1st quarter. Alta Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 3,927 shares of the company's stock worth $353,000 after purchasing an additional 600 shares during the last quarter. 76.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Down 0.9%

Shares of NYSE:MRK opened at $78.94 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.16, a current ratio of 1.41 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. The firm has a market cap of $198.21 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.49, a P/E/G ratio of 0.83 and a beta of 0.38. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 12 month low of $73.31 and a 12 month high of $132.29. The company's 50-day moving average price is $79.04 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $87.88.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The company reported $2.22 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.16 by $0.06. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 27.27% and a return on equity of 43.23%. The business had revenue of $15.53 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $15.59 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.07 earnings per share. Merck & Co., Inc.'s revenue for the quarter was down 1.6% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts forecast that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Activity

In other news, SVP Dalton E. Smart III sold 4,262 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, April 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $82.76, for a total value 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 represents a 35.40% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.13% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms recently issued reports on MRK. Guggenheim reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $115.00 target price 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 report on Friday, April 25th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald lowered Merck & Co., Inc. from an "overweight" rating to a "cautious" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 20th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have assigned a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $109.19.

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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