Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) Shares Bought by Townsquare Capital LLC

Key Points

• Townsquare Capital LLC increased its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 4.1%, now owning 423,604 shares valued at approximately $38 million.
• Several institutional investors have adjusted their positions in Merck, with 76.07% of the stock currently held by such entities.
• Merck recently declared a quarterly dividend of $0.81 per share, yielding 4.0%, which will be paid on October 7th.

Townsquare Capital LLC boosted its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 4.1% in the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 423,604 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 16,816 shares during the quarter. Townsquare Capital LLC's holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $38,023,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

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

Merck & Co., Inc. Price Performance

MRK stock traded up $0.36 on Friday, reaching $80.73. 6,882,063 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 12,387,496. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $80.74 and a 200-day moving average of $83.94. Merck & Co., Inc. has a twelve month low of $73.31 and a twelve month high of $120.30. The firm has a market cap of $201.65 billion, a PE ratio of 12.44, a P/E/G ratio of 0.85 and a beta of 0.38. The company has a quick ratio of 1.16, a current ratio of 1.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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 41.05% and a net margin of 25.79%. The firm had revenue of $15.81 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $15.92 billion. As a group, equities analysts predict that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, October 7th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 15th will be issued a $0.81 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 15th. This represents a $3.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.0%. Merck & Co., Inc.'s dividend payout ratio is 49.92%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

Merck & Co., Inc. Company 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.