Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank Sells 26,378 Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK)

Key Points

• Zurcher Kantonalbank reduced its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.6%, owning 994,125 shares valued at approximately $89.23 million after selling 26,378 shares in the first quarter.
• Various hedge funds have adjusted their holdings, with Quilter Plc increasing its stake by 5.6% and Simplicity Wealth LLC seeing a significant increase in holdings by 991.7% during the same period.
• Analysts have mixed sentiments on Merck, with ratings ranging from "overweight" to "cautious," and a consensus rating of "Hold" with an average price target of $108.69.

Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank lessened its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 2.6% in the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 994,125 shares of the company's stock after selling 26,378 shares during the period. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank's holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $89,233,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. FSB Premier Wealth Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 5.8% in the 4th quarter. FSB Premier Wealth Management Inc. now owns 2,283 shares of the company's stock valued at $227,000 after buying an additional 125 shares during the period. Foundation Wealth Management LLC PA grew its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.4% in the 1st quarter. Foundation Wealth Management LLC PA now owns 5,361 shares of the company's stock valued at $481,000 after buying an additional 127 shares during the period. Tilson Financial Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.7% in the 1st quarter. Tilson Financial Group Inc. now owns 4,965 shares of the company's stock valued at $446,000 after buying an additional 132 shares during the period. Perkins Coie Trust Co grew its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.3% in the 1st quarter. Perkins Coie Trust Co now owns 6,021 shares of the company's stock valued at $540,000 after buying an additional 136 shares during the period. Finally, Forza Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 1.3% in the 1st quarter. Forza Wealth Management LLC now owns 10,761 shares of the company's stock valued at $966,000 after buying an additional 138 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.07% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on MRK shares. Cantor Fitzgerald lowered shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from an "overweight" rating to a "cautious" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 20th. Guggenheim reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $115.00 price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Thursday, April 17th. Morgan Stanley cut their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $99.00 to $98.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, July 10th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $97.00 to $90.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, April 25th. One 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. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $107.44.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Up 0.1%

Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. stock traded up $0.06 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $82.69. 5,280,499 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 15,830,077. The company has a current ratio of 1.41, a quick ratio of 1.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. The company has a 50 day moving average of $80.27 and a two-hundred day moving average of $84.98. The stock has a market cap of $207.62 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.04, a P/E/G ratio of 0.86 and a beta of 0.39. Merck & Co., Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $73.31 and a fifty-two week high of $120.30.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results 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 net margin of 27.27% and a return on equity of 43.23%. The business had revenue of $15.81 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $15.92 billion. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, October 7th. Investors of record on Monday, September 15th will be paid 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 3.92%. Merck & Co., Inc.'s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 47.16%.

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.