Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) Shares Purchased by Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank

Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank raised its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 4.1% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 1,282,303 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 50,423 shares during the period. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank owned 0.05% of Merck & Co., Inc. worth $139,797,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Ruedi Wealth Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 180.2% in the third quarter. Ruedi Wealth Management Inc. now owns 311 shares of the company's stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. AlphaMark Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the fourth quarter valued at about $34,000. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the fourth quarter valued at about $42,000. Morton Brown Family Wealth LLC lifted its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 2,500.0% in the fourth quarter. Morton Brown Family Wealth LLC now owns 416 shares of the company's stock valued at $45,000 after acquiring an additional 400 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Keener Financial Planning LLC purchased a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the fourth quarter valued at about $47,000. Institutional investors own 76.07% of the company's stock.

Merck & Co., Inc. Trading Down 0.9 %

NYSE MRK traded down $1.13 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $125.06. 5,587,314 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 8,377,428. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $126.24 and a 200 day moving average price of $114.69. The company has a quick ratio of 1.00, a current ratio of 1.25 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 52 week low of $99.14 and a 52 week high of $133.10. The stock has a market cap of $316.78 billion, a PE ratio of 893.29, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.50 and a beta of 0.38.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 1st. The company reported $0.03 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.09) by $0.12. The company had revenue of $14.63 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $14.49 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 9.33% and a net margin of 0.61%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 5.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.62 earnings per share. Analysts forecast 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. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 15th were paid a dividend of $0.77 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 14th. This represents a $3.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.46%. Merck & Co., Inc.'s dividend payout ratio is 2,200.00%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have recently commented on MRK. StockNews.com upgraded Merck & Co., Inc. from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Friday, February 2nd. Societe Generale downgraded Merck & Co., Inc. from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating and set a $104.00 target price on the stock. in a research report on Monday, March 11th. TheStreet downgraded Merck & Co., Inc. from a "b+" rating to a "c+" rating in a research report on Monday, March 4th. Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated an "overweight" rating and issued a $135.00 target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Friday, April 5th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price 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. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Merck & Co., Inc. presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $131.25.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Steven Mizell sold 50,694 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $126.65, for a total transaction of $6,420,395.10. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 23,619 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,991,346.35. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. In related news, insider Joseph Romanelli sold 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $124.89, for a total value of $124,890.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 19,569 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,443,972.41. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Steven Mizell sold 50,694 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 23,619 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,991,346.35. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.20% of the company's stock.

Merck & Co., Inc. Profile

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.