Fifth Third Bancorp reduced its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK – Free Report) by 1.1% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,483,394 shares of the company’s stock after selling 17,225 shares during the quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $215,552,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.
Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Endeavor Private Wealth Inc. grew its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 15.1% during the 3rd quarter. Endeavor Private Wealth Inc. now owns 2,300 shares of the company’s stock worth $336,000 after purchasing an additional 301 shares in the last quarter. FDx Advisors Inc. raised its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 11.5% in the third quarter. FDx Advisors Inc. now owns 3,384 shares of the company’s stock valued at $492,000 after buying an additional 348 shares in the last quarter. Banyan Capital Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the third quarter valued at approximately $768,000. Maryland State Retirement & Pension System raised its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 13.5% in the third quarter. Maryland State Retirement & Pension System now owns 151,368 shares of the company’s stock valued at $21,995,000 after buying an additional 17,995 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Advisor Resource Council boosted its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 5.5% in the third quarter. Advisor Resource Council now owns 11,153 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,556,000 after buying an additional 583 shares during the period. 76.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.
Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth
MRK has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. DZ Bank downgraded Merck & Co., Inc. from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $153.00 price target on the stock. in a research report on Tuesday, November 3rd. Berenberg Bank lifted their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $127.00 to $137.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, September 11th. Cantor Fitzgerald raised their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $145.00 to $155.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, November 2nd. BMO Capital Markets raised their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $142.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 20th. Finally, UBS Group boosted their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $145.00 to $175.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 20th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have issued a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $155.74.
Get Our Latest Research Report on Merck & Co., Inc.
Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Down 0.5%
Shares of MRK opened at $147.27 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $363.07 billion, a PE ratio of 151.83, a PEG ratio of 6.79 and a beta of 0.13. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 12 month low of $90.90 and a 12 month high of $156.92. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $146.34 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $128.21. The company has a current ratio of 1.35, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.11.
Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK – Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 29th. The company reported $2.49 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.09 by $0.40. The firm had revenue of $18.09 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $17.33 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 3.64% and a return on equity of 16.73%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $2.58 EPS. On average, analysts anticipate that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 2.82 EPS for the current year.
Merck & Co., Inc. Profile
Merck & Co., Inc. is a global pharmaceutical company that develops and markets prescription medicines, vaccines, biologic therapies and animal-health products. The company’s research and commercial activities span areas including oncology, infectious diseases, vaccines, cardiovascular disease and immunology. Its products include the cancer medicine Keytruda and the Gardasil vaccine. Founded in the United States in 1891, Merck & Co. became an independent company in 1917. It is headquartered in Rahway, New Jersey, and operates internationally.
Read More
- Five stocks we like better than Merck & Co., Inc.
- Keeping AI Cool: AAON Rides the AI Heatwave to Record Growth
- AST SpaceMobile Has a New Rocket Plan, But Its Cash-Burn Problem Isn’t Going Away
- Powering Up the Moon: Redwire’s $40 Million NASA Award
- Can Constellation Energy’s Contracts Power a Stock Rebound?
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.
