Rockland Trust Co. lowered its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK – Free Report) by 6.5% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 458,433 shares of the company’s stock after selling 31,616 shares during the period. Merck & Co., Inc. makes up 2.5% of Rockland Trust Co.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 9th largest holding. Rockland Trust Co.’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $66,615,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.
A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the business. Polaris Financial Partners purchased a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the third quarter valued at approximately $66,000. Versant Capital Management Inc grew its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 1.5% in the 3rd quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 12,270 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,783,000 after buying an additional 185 shares during the last quarter. Stonebridge Financial Group LLC increased its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 1.7% during the 3rd quarter. Stonebridge Financial Group LLC now owns 8,894 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,292,000 after buying an additional 147 shares in the last quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. raised its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 28.3% during the second quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. now owns 105,500 shares of the company’s stock valued at $13,557,000 after buying an additional 23,240 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Envestnet Asset Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 3.7% in the second quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 3,996,890 shares of the company’s stock worth $513,599,000 after acquiring an additional 143,914 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 76.07% of the company’s stock.
Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Performance
Shares of MRK stock traded down $4.02 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $140.28. The company had a trading volume of 4,380,871 shares, compared to its average volume of 10,682,914. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a current ratio of 1.32. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $142.73 and a 200-day moving average price of $127.40. Merck & Co., Inc. has a one year low of $82.01 and a one year high of $156.92. The firm has a market cap of $346.09 billion, a PE ratio of 112.20, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.28 and a beta of 0.21.
Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement
The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 7th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 15th will be paid a $0.85 dividend. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 15th. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 272.00%.
Analyst Ratings Changes
Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Wolfe Research raised their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $155.00 to $180.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 25th. Sanford C. Bernstein increased their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $100.00 to $105.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 4th. Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $120.00 target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Monday, July 6th. Guggenheim upped their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $146.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 8th. Finally, Scotiabank increased their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $155.00 to $180.00 and gave the company a “sector outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, September 29th. Sixteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eleven have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $146.36.
Read Our Latest Analysis on MRK
Insider Buying and Selling
In other Merck & Co., Inc. news, EVP Jennifer Zachary sold 80,315 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $133.46, for a total value of $10,718,839.90. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 45,509 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,073,631.14. This trade represents a 63.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP David Williams sold 52,847 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $128.77, for a total value of $6,805,108.19. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 31,716 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,084,069.32. This represents a 62.49% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 228,238 shares of company stock valued at $29,977,783 over the last ninety days. 0.17% of the stock is owned by insiders.
Merck & Co., Inc. Company Profile
Merck & Co, Inc is a global healthcare company that develops and markets prescription medicines, vaccines, and animal-health products. The company serves patients, healthcare providers, and customers in markets around the world, with research and commercial operations spanning multiple geographic regions.
Its pharmaceutical portfolio includes oncology, infectious-disease, cardiovascular, immunology, and other therapeutic areas. Key products include Keytruda, an oncology treatment; Gardasil, a human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine; Januvia and Janumet for type 2 diabetes; Bridion for anesthesia-related use; and Winrevair for pulmonary arterial hypertension.
Featured Articles
- Five stocks we like better than Merck & Co., Inc.
- A Manufacturing Surprise Could Be a Big Win for These 2 Companies
- What a $1 Billion Chip Deal Says About Amazon’s AI Ambitions
- 3 Stocks Benefiting From AI Demand Just Announced Major Buybacks
- Insiders Are Selling These 3 Stocks, Should You?
Want to see what other hedge funds are holding MRK? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK – Free Report).
Receive News & Ratings for Merck & Co. Inc. Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Merck & Co. Inc. and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.
