Stonebridge Financial Group LLC Raises Stock Holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK)

Stonebridge Financial Group LLC raised its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 14.7% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 47,004 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 6,025 shares during the quarter. Stonebridge Financial Group LLC's holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $4,219,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Noble Wealth Management PBC bought a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Promus Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $30,000. WealthTrak Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Finally, Spurstone Advisory Services LLC purchased a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. in the fourth quarter worth $37,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.07% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, SVP Dalton E. Smart III sold 4,262 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 directly owned 7,778 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $643,707.28. This represents a 35.40% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.09% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Up 0.7%

Shares of NYSE MRK traded up $0.55 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $82.36. The company had a trading volume of 16,047,703 shares, compared to its average volume of 13,210,921. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 12-month low of $73.31 and a 12-month high of $129.93. 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 business's 50-day moving average is $79.14 and its 200 day moving average is $87.35. The stock has a market cap of $206.81 billion, a PE ratio of 11.99, a P/E/G ratio of 0.82 and a beta of 0.39.

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, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.16 by $0.06. The company had revenue of $15.53 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $15.59 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 27.27% and a return on equity of 43.23%. Merck & Co., Inc.'s revenue was down 1.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $2.07 EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, July 8th. Investors of record on Monday, June 16th will be given a dividend of $0.81 per share. This represents a $3.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.93%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 16th. Merck & Co., Inc.'s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 47.16%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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

Merck & Co., Inc. 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.