Scissortail Wealth Management LLC Acquires 38,872 Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK)

Scissortail Wealth Management LLC grew its position in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 9,916.3% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 39,264 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 38,872 shares during the period. Scissortail Wealth Management LLC's holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $3,905,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of MRK. ERn Financial LLC lifted its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 10.3% in the 4th quarter. ERn Financial LLC now owns 3,163 shares of the company's stock valued at $315,000 after acquiring an additional 295 shares during the last quarter. Northside Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 12.1% in the fourth quarter. Northside Capital Management LLC now owns 2,770 shares of the company's stock valued at $276,000 after purchasing an additional 300 shares during the period. Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 7.3% in the 4th quarter. Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc. now owns 74,801 shares of the company's stock valued at $7,441,000 after purchasing an additional 5,090 shares during the last quarter. IFS Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 33.5% in the 4th quarter. IFS Advisors LLC now owns 797 shares of the company's stock valued at $79,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Mirador Capital Partners LP boosted its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 4.1% in the 4th quarter. Mirador Capital Partners LP now owns 6,154 shares of the company's stock valued at $612,000 after purchasing an additional 243 shares during the last quarter. 76.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Performance

Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. stock traded up $0.69 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $77.92. 13,256,215 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 12,476,692. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 12 month low of $73.31 and a 12 month high of $134.63. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $83.13 and a 200 day simple moving average of $91.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.79, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a current ratio of 1.36. The company has a market capitalization of $195.66 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.58, a P/E/G ratio of 0.77 and a beta of 0.43.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The company reported $2.22 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.16 by $0.06. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 26.67% and a return on equity of 45.35%. The firm had revenue of $15.53 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $15.59 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $2.07 EPS. The company's quarterly revenue was down 1.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. announced that its board has approved a share repurchase program on Tuesday, January 28th that authorizes the company to repurchase $10.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the company to buy up to 4.1% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are often a sign that the company's management believes its stock is undervalued.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MRK has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Citigroup reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and issued a $84.00 price objective (down from $115.00) on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Wednesday, May 14th. Cantor Fitzgerald downgraded Merck & Co., Inc. from an "overweight" rating to a "cautious" rating in a report on Tuesday. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft downgraded Merck & Co., Inc. from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and decreased their price target for the stock from $128.00 to $105.00 in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target 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. Finally, TD Cowen downgraded Merck & Co., Inc. from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and decreased their price target for the stock from $121.00 to $100.00 in a report on Monday, February 10th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have issued a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and three have given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $109.19.

Insider Activity at Merck & Co., Inc.

In related news, SVP Dalton E. Smart III sold 4,262 shares of Merck & Co., Inc. stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, April 25th. The shares were 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 document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.13% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

About Merck & Co., Inc.

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.