Investor s Fiduciary Advisor Network LLC Invests $3.40 Million in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK)

Investor s Fiduciary Advisor Network LLC purchased a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 34,146 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,396,000. Merck & Co., Inc. makes up 1.3% of Investor s Fiduciary Advisor Network LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 16th largest holding.

Other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 28.0% in the 4th quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 1,911 shares of the company's stock worth $190,000 after purchasing an additional 418 shares during the period. HBW Advisory Services LLC boosted its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 5.7% during the 4th quarter. HBW Advisory Services LLC now owns 4,899 shares of the company's stock valued at $487,000 after acquiring an additional 262 shares during the last quarter. Czech National Bank lifted its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 6.2% during the fourth quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 548,475 shares of the company's stock valued at $54,562,000 after purchasing an additional 32,108 shares during the last quarter. Matrix Trust Co raised its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 5.4% during the fourth quarter. Matrix Trust Co now owns 15,768 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,569,000 after purchasing an additional 808 shares during the period. Finally, Clark & Stuart Inc bought a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. in the fourth quarter worth $9,255,000. 76.07% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on the company. Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $113.00 to $106.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and lowered their target price for the company from $128.00 to $105.00 in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. Cantor Fitzgerald started coverage on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Tuesday, April 22nd. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $85.00 price target on the stock. Citigroup dropped their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $125.00 to $115.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. Finally, Bank of America reduced their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $118.00 to $112.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, February 5th. Twelve equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and three have issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $111.13.

Merck & Co., Inc. Trading Down 3.4%

Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. stock traded down $2.75 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $77.68. 6,135,863 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 16,124,953. Merck & Co., Inc. has a twelve month low of $75.82 and a twelve month high of $134.63. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $85.01 and a 200 day simple moving average of $92.97. The company has a current ratio of 1.36, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.79. The stock has a market capitalization of $195.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.54, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.77 and a beta of 0.43.

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, beating the consensus estimate of $2.16 by $0.06. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 45.35% and a net margin of 26.67%. The firm had revenue of $15.53 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $15.59 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.07 EPS. The firm's quarterly revenue was down 1.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts forecast that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 EPS for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock repurchase plan on Tuesday, January 28th that permits the company to buyback $10.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the company to repurchase up to 4.1% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are generally an indication that the company's leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, SVP Dalton E. Smart III sold 4,262 shares of the business's stock in a transaction 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 sale, the senior vice president now owns 7,778 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $643,707.28. The trade was a 35.40% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. 0.13% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.