Red Door Wealth Management LLC Acquires 8,717 Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK)

Red Door Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 11.6% in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 83,767 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 8,717 shares during the period. Merck & Co., Inc. comprises about 1.1% of Red Door Wealth Management LLC's holdings, making the stock its 29th biggest position. Red Door Wealth Management LLC's holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $7,519,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Brighton Jones LLC grew its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 29.5% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 38,278 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,808,000 after purchasing an additional 8,710 shares during the period. Noble Wealth Management PBC bought a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. in the 4th quarter worth about $28,000. Sherman Asset Management Inc. bought a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. during the 4th quarter worth approximately $196,000. Duncker Streett & Co. Inc. boosted its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 7.9% during the fourth quarter. Duncker Streett & Co. Inc. now owns 30,488 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,033,000 after buying an additional 2,237 shares during the period. Finally, PCG Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. during the fourth quarter worth about $603,000. Institutional investors own 76.07% of the company's stock.

Merck & Co., Inc. Price Performance

MRK stock opened at $78.93 on Monday. The stock has a market capitalization of $198.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.49, a PEG ratio of 0.82 and a beta of 0.38. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $79.06 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $87.55. The company has a current ratio of 1.41, a quick ratio of 1.16 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 $129.93.

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

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, July 8th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 16th will be issued a $0.81 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 16th. This represents a $3.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.10%. Merck & Co., Inc.'s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 47.16%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MRK has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Wall Street Zen lowered Merck & Co., Inc. from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, April 25th. Cantor Fitzgerald cut shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from an "overweight" rating to a "cautious" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 20th. Guggenheim restated a "buy" rating and set a $115.00 price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Thursday, April 17th. Finally, Citigroup reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and set a $84.00 price objective (down from $115.00) on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Wednesday, May 14th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have issued a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $109.19.

Insider Transactions at Merck & Co., Inc.

In related news, SVP Dalton E. Smart III sold 4,262 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Friday, April 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $82.76, for a total transaction of $352,723.12. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 7,778 shares in the company, valued at $643,707.28. The trade was a 35.40% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.09% of the company's stock.

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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