Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) Shares Sold by UMB Bank n.a.

UMB Bank n.a. cut its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK – Get Rating) by 1.3% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 215,056 shares of the company’s stock after selling 2,825 shares during the period. UMB Bank n.a.’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $23,860,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the stock. CHURCHILL MANAGEMENT Corp raised its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 3.4% during the fourth quarter. CHURCHILL MANAGEMENT Corp now owns 104,204 shares of the company’s stock worth $11,561,000 after purchasing an additional 3,445 shares during the period. Apella Capital LLC raised its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 36.5% during the fourth quarter. Apella Capital LLC now owns 6,374 shares of the company’s stock worth $707,000 after purchasing an additional 1,705 shares during the period. Gries Financial LLC raised its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 30.1% during the fourth quarter. Gries Financial LLC now owns 43,953 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,877,000 after purchasing an additional 10,178 shares during the period. Coldstream Capital Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the fourth quarter worth $9,048,000. Finally, Bank of New Hampshire raised its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 11.4% during the fourth quarter. Bank of New Hampshire now owns 20,576 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,283,000 after purchasing an additional 2,104 shares during the period. 72.89% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Performance

MRK opened at $104.10 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $264.27 billion, a PE ratio of 18.23, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.95 and a beta of 0.34. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $108.19 and a 200-day moving average of $102.15. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 52-week low of $78.63 and a 52-week high of $115.49. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62, a quick ratio of 1.23 and a current ratio of 1.47.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK – Get Rating) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 2nd. The company reported $1.62 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.56 by $0.06. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 43.47% and a net margin of 24.49%. The firm had revenue of $13.83 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $13.66 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.80 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.3% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 6.88 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 10th. Investors of record on Wednesday, March 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.73 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 14th. This represents a $2.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.80%. Merck & Co., Inc.’s payout ratio is 51.14%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms recently weighed in on MRK. StockNews.com began coverage on Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Thursday. They set a “buy” rating on the stock. Berenberg Bank upped their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $125.00 to $130.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, March 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $120.00 to $125.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 23rd. Cowen upped their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $108.00 to $120.00 in a research report on Tuesday, January 3rd. Finally, Guggenheim upped their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $116.00 to $123.00 in a research report on Thursday, March 9th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Merck & Co., Inc. currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $119.35.

Insider Activity at Merck & Co., Inc.

In related news, insider Sanat Chattopadhyay sold 83,994 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, January 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $112.29, for a total transaction of $9,431,686.26. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 29,500 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,312,555. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In other Merck & Co., Inc. news, EVP Steven Mizell sold 5,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $107.00, for a total value of $535,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 34,900 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,734,300. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Sanat Chattopadhyay sold 83,994 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, January 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $112.29, for a total value of $9,431,686.26. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 29,500 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,312,555. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 100,245 shares of company stock worth $11,168,256 in the last 90 days. 0.29% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Merck & Co., Inc. Company Profile

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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.