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Swiss National Bank Sells 25,900 Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK)

Merck & Co., Inc. logo with Medical background

Key Points

  • The Swiss National Bank reduced its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.4%, owning 7,134,851 shares valued at $640,424,000 after selling 25,900 shares in the first quarter.
  • Merck reported a Q2 EPS of $2.13, surpassing analysts' expectations of $2.03, with a net margin of 25.79% and a revenue of $15.81 billion.
  • The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.81 per share, representing an annual yield of 4.0%, payable to shareholders of record on September 15th.
  • Need Better Tools to Track Merck & Co., Inc.? Try 5 Weeks of MarketBeat All Access for $5. Start Portfolio Tracking Now.

Swiss National Bank cut its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 0.4% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 7,134,851 shares of the company's stock after selling 25,900 shares during the quarter. Swiss National Bank owned approximately 0.28% of Merck & Co., Inc. worth $640,424,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in MRK. Semus Wealth Partners LLC grew its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 8.2% during the 1st quarter. Semus Wealth Partners LLC now owns 5,039 shares of the company's stock worth $452,000 after buying an additional 382 shares during the period. Quilter Plc lifted its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 5.6% in the 1st quarter. Quilter Plc now owns 1,180,797 shares of the company's stock valued at $105,988,000 after acquiring an additional 62,933 shares in the last quarter. Simplicity Wealth LLC lifted its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 991.7% in the 1st quarter. Simplicity Wealth LLC now owns 33,394 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,997,000 after acquiring an additional 30,335 shares in the last quarter. China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd. raised its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 13.8% during the 1st quarter. China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 56,566 shares of the company's stock worth $5,118,000 after purchasing an additional 6,850 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Advisor OS LLC raised its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.9% during the 1st quarter. Advisor OS LLC now owns 32,558 shares of the company's stock worth $2,922,000 after purchasing an additional 293 shares in the last quarter. 76.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Merck & Co., Inc. Trading Up 0.4%

Shares of NYSE:MRK traded up $0.36 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $80.73. 6,882,063 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 12,387,496. The business's 50-day moving average price is $80.74 and its 200 day moving average price is $83.94. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 12 month low of $73.31 and a 12 month high of $120.30. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 1.16 and a current ratio of 1.42. The stock has a market capitalization of $201.65 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.44, a P/E/G ratio of 0.85 and a beta of 0.38.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 29th. The company reported $2.13 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.03 by $0.10. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 41.05% and a net margin of 25.79%. The company had revenue of $15.81 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $15.92 billion. Analysts predict that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 earnings per share for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, October 7th. Stockholders 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 dividend yield of 4.0%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 15th. Merck & Co., Inc.'s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 49.92%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on MRK shares. Guggenheim reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $115.00 price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Thursday, April 17th. Cantor Fitzgerald cut Merck & Co., Inc. from an "overweight" rating to a "cautious" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 20th. Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $99.00 to $98.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, July 10th. Citigroup reiterated a "neutral" rating and set a $84.00 price objective (down previously from $115.00) on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Wednesday, May 14th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $97.00 to $90.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, July 30th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have issued a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Merck & Co., Inc. presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $107.44.

Read Our Latest Research Report on MRK

Merck & Co., Inc. Company Profile

(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.

Further Reading

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

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