Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) Shares Sold by Hi Line Capital Management LLC

Hi Line Capital Management LLC lessened its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 8.9% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 79,468 shares of the company's stock after selling 7,737 shares during the period. Merck & Co., Inc. makes up approximately 3.4% of Hi Line Capital Management LLC's holdings, making the stock its 11th largest position. Hi Line Capital Management LLC's holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $8,725,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of MRK. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 6.7% during the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 82,442,666 shares of the company's stock worth $8,487,472,000 after purchasing an additional 5,196,914 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 14.8% in the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 36,682,866 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,966,029,000 after purchasing an additional 4,731,152 shares during the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC raised its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 10,221.4% in the 4th quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 2,375,269 shares of the company's stock valued at $258,952,000 after purchasing an additional 2,352,256 shares during the last quarter. AEGON ASSET MANAGEMENT UK Plc bought a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. in the 4th quarter valued at $187,042,000. Finally, Northern Trust Corp raised its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 4.1% in the 3rd quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 29,859,623 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,074,048,000 after purchasing an additional 1,186,842 shares during the last quarter. 76.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Merck & Co., Inc.

In related news, insider Joseph Romanelli sold 1,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $124.89, for a total transaction of $124,890.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 19,569 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,443,972.41. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.09% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Merck & Co., Inc. Price Performance

Shares of MRK stock traded up $0.68 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $130.23. The company's stock had a trading volume of 9,095,657 shares, compared to its average volume of 8,196,433. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $126.48 and its 200-day simple moving average is $117.41. The company has a market capitalization of $329.85 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 144.70, a PEG ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.39. Merck & Co., Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $99.14 and a fifty-two week high of $133.10. 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. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 25th. The company reported $2.07 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.94 by $0.13. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 14.15% and a net margin of 3.76%. The company had revenue of $15.78 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $15.21 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.40 EPS. Merck & Co., Inc.'s revenue for the quarter was up 8.9% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts forecast that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 8.69 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MRK has been the subject of several research analyst reports. StockNews.com upgraded Merck & Co., Inc. from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Friday, February 2nd. 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. Cantor Fitzgerald restated an "overweight" rating and set a $135.00 target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Thursday, April 18th. Truist Financial lifted their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $142.00 to $143.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, April 26th. Finally, Barclays increased their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $135.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, February 2nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating, eight have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Merck & Co., Inc. presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $131.33.

Merck & Co., Inc. Company 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.