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Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ Has $172.42 Million Stake in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK)

Merck & Co., Inc. logo with Medical background

Key Points

  • Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ increased its holding in Merck & Co., Inc. by 3.2%, owning approximately 1,920,890 shares valued at $172.42 million, making it the bank's 22nd largest position.
  • Merck recently announced a quarterly dividend of $0.81 per share, with a dividend yield of 3.85%, which will be payable on October 7th to stockholders of record as of September 15th.
  • Merck's latest earnings report showed an EPS of $2.22, surpassing analyst expectations, while revenue decreased by 1.6% year-over-year to $15.53 billion.
  • Five stocks we like better than Merck & Co., Inc..

Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ lifted its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 3.2% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,920,890 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 59,386 shares during the period. Merck & Co., Inc. accounts for approximately 0.8% of Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ's holdings, making the stock its 22nd largest holding. Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ owned about 0.08% of Merck & Co., Inc. worth $172,419,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the stock. FSB Premier Wealth Management Inc. lifted its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 5.8% during the fourth quarter. FSB Premier Wealth Management Inc. now owns 2,283 shares of the company's stock worth $227,000 after acquiring an additional 125 shares in the last quarter. Foundation Wealth Management LLC PA lifted its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.4% during the first quarter. Foundation Wealth Management LLC PA now owns 5,361 shares of the company's stock worth $481,000 after acquiring an additional 127 shares in the last quarter. Tilson Financial Group Inc. lifted its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.7% during the first quarter. Tilson Financial Group Inc. now owns 4,965 shares of the company's stock worth $446,000 after acquiring an additional 132 shares in the last quarter. Perkins Coie Trust Co lifted its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.3% during the first quarter. Perkins Coie Trust Co now owns 6,021 shares of the company's stock worth $540,000 after acquiring an additional 136 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Forza Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 1.3% during the first quarter. Forza Wealth Management LLC now owns 10,761 shares of the company's stock worth $966,000 after acquiring an additional 138 shares in the last quarter. 76.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have weighed in on MRK shares. Guggenheim reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $115.00 target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Thursday, April 17th. 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 lowered Merck & Co., Inc. from an "overweight" rating to a "cautious" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 20th. Citigroup restated a "neutral" rating and issued a $84.00 price target (down from $115.00) on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Wednesday, May 14th. Finally, Morgan Stanley cut their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $99.00 to $98.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, July 10th. 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 two have issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Merck & Co., Inc. currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $108.69.

Check Out Our Latest Stock Report on Merck & Co., Inc.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Performance

NYSE MRK traded down $2.86 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $81.20. 18,256,076 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 15,835,569. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $80.17 and a 200-day moving average price of $84.99. The stock has a market capitalization of $203.90 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.81, a PEG ratio of 0.87 and a beta of 0.39. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 1.41 and a quick ratio of 1.16. Merck & Co., Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $73.31 and a fifty-two week high of $123.94.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 29th. The company reported $2.13 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.03 by $0.10. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 43.23% and a net margin of 27.27%. Sell-side analysts forecast that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, October 7th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 15th will be given a dividend of $0.81 per share. This represents a $3.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.99%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 15th. Merck & Co., Inc.'s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 47.16%.

About Merck & Co., Inc.

(Free Report)

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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Institutional Ownership by Quarter for Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK)

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