Mn Services Vermogensbeheer B.V. Has $131.22 Million Position in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK)

Mn Services Vermogensbeheer B.V. reduced its position in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 2.4% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 1,203,599 shares of the company's stock after selling 29,700 shares during the period. Merck & Co., Inc. comprises 1.2% of Mn Services Vermogensbeheer B.V.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 14th biggest position. Mn Services Vermogensbeheer B.V.'s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $131,216,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Kennedy Investment Group increased its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 16.0% in the 4th quarter. Kennedy Investment Group now owns 2,564 shares of the company's stock valued at $280,000 after purchasing an additional 354 shares in the last quarter. Constitution Capital LLC increased its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 5.9% in the 4th quarter. Constitution Capital LLC now owns 3,600 shares of the company's stock valued at $392,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. Harbour Trust & Investment Management Co purchased a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. during the fourth quarter worth $599,000. Mosaic Family Wealth Partners LLC increased its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 4.0% during the fourth quarter. Mosaic Family Wealth Partners LLC now owns 2,995 shares of the company's stock worth $327,000 after buying an additional 116 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Richard P Slaughter Associates Inc increased its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 8.8% during the third quarter. Richard P Slaughter Associates Inc now owns 13,532 shares of the company's stock worth $1,393,000 after buying an additional 1,091 shares in the last quarter. 76.07% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Merck & Co., Inc. Trading Down 0.3 %

NYSE:MRK traded down $0.41 on Friday, hitting $125.74. 7,369,989 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 9,464,172. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $126.28 and a 200-day moving average of $114.31. The stock has a market cap of $318.45 billion, a PE ratio of 898.14, a PEG ratio of 0.50 and a beta of 0.38. The company has a current ratio of 1.25, a quick ratio of 1.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89. Merck & Co., Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $99.14 and a fifty-two week high of $133.10.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 1st. The company reported $0.03 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.09) by $0.12. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 9.33% and a net margin of 0.61%. The business had revenue of $14.63 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $14.49 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.62 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 5.8% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts expect that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 8.57 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, April 5th. Investors of record on Friday, March 15th were issued a dividend of $0.77 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 14th. This represents a $3.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.45%. Merck & Co., Inc.'s payout ratio is 2,200.00%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have weighed in on the company. Societe Generale downgraded Merck & Co., Inc. from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating and set a $104.00 price target for the company. in a research report on Monday, March 11th. UBS Group raised their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $135.00 to $148.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, February 2nd. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $130.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 27th. Truist Financial reissued a "buy" rating and set a $142.00 price target (up previously from $139.00) on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Thursday, March 28th. Finally, Barclays lifted their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $135.00 to $145.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, February 2nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $131.15.

Insider Activity at Merck & Co., Inc.

In other Merck & Co., Inc. news, EVP Steven Mizell sold 50,694 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $126.65, for a total value of $6,420,395.10. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 23,619 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,991,346.35. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In other news, insider Joseph Romanelli sold 1,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $124.89, for a total transaction of $124,890.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 19,569 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,443,972.41. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Steven Mizell sold 50,694 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Friday, February 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $126.65, for a total transaction of $6,420,395.10. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 23,619 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,991,346.35. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.20% of the company's stock.

About Merck & Co., Inc.

Merck & Co, Inc operates as a healthcare company worldwide. It operates through two segments, Pharmaceutical and Animal Health. The Pharmaceutical segment offers human health pharmaceutical products in the areas of oncology, hospital acute care, immunology, neuroscience, virology, cardiovascular, and diabetes under the Keytruda, Bridion, Adempas, Lagevrio, Belsomra, Simponi, and Januvia brands, as well as vaccine products consisting of preventive pediatric, adolescent, and adult vaccines under the Gardasil/Gardasil 9, ProQuad, M-M-R II, Varivax, RotaTeq, Live Oral, Vaxneuvance, Pneumovax 23, and Vaqta names.