Charles Schwab Trust Co reduced its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK – Free Report) by 23.7% during the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 10,636 shares of the company’s stock after selling 3,296 shares during the quarter. Charles Schwab Trust Co’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $1,208,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.
Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Biltmore Family Office LLC increased its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.6% during the fourth quarter. Biltmore Family Office LLC now owns 53,623 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,887,000 after acquiring an additional 339 shares during the period. Barden Capital Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the 4th quarter worth approximately $933,000. Bridgeway Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 29.2% during the 4th quarter. Bridgeway Capital Management LLC now owns 152,993 shares of the company’s stock worth $16,679,000 after purchasing an additional 34,562 shares during the last quarter. Guardian Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. in the 4th quarter worth approximately $89,000. Finally, Gotham Asset Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 59.6% during the 4th quarter. Gotham Asset Management LLC now owns 144,208 shares of the company’s stock valued at $15,722,000 after buying an additional 53,836 shares during the period. 76.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.
Merck & Co., Inc. Price Performance
MRK traded down $0.15 on Friday, hitting $109.25. 3,989,287 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 8,745,349. The firm has a market capitalization of $276.71 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.17, a PEG ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 0.39. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80, a current ratio of 1.47 and a quick ratio of 1.22. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 12 month low of $99.14 and a 12 month high of $134.63. The business has a 50-day moving average of $114.70 and a two-hundred day moving average of $123.27.
Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend
The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, October 7th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 16th were paid a $0.77 dividend. This represents a $3.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.82%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, September 16th. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio is currently 57.14%.
Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth
A number of analysts recently weighed in on MRK shares. Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $155.00 price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Thursday, October 3rd. Wolfe Research raised shares of Merck & Co., Inc. to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 31st. Bank of America lowered their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $150.00 to $145.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, July 31st. Evercore ISI raised shares of Merck & Co., Inc. to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 30th. Finally, Barclays lowered their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $142.00 to $140.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and four have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $133.00.
View Our Latest Report on Merck & Co., Inc.
About Merck & Co., Inc.
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.
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