MetLife Investment Management LLC Cuts Stake in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK)

MetLife Investment Management LLC reduced its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 4.7% in the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 663,589 shares of the company’s stock after selling 32,956 shares during the quarter. Merck & Co., Inc. makes up about 0.6% of MetLife Investment Management LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 21st biggest holding. MetLife Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $76,572,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Amplius Wealth Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 9.1% in the 2nd quarter. Amplius Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 4,046 shares of the company’s stock worth $467,000 after purchasing an additional 336 shares in the last quarter. Peddock Capital Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 8.3% in the 2nd quarter. Peddock Capital Advisors LLC now owns 16,794 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,938,000 after purchasing an additional 1,286 shares in the last quarter. Calamos Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 1.5% in the 2nd quarter. Calamos Wealth Management LLC now owns 19,388 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,237,000 after purchasing an additional 286 shares in the last quarter. Juncture Wealth Strategies LLC bought a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. in the 2nd quarter worth $203,000. Finally, Fort Sheridan Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 32.5% in the 1st quarter. Fort Sheridan Advisors LLC now owns 80,366 shares of the company’s stock worth $8,550,000 after purchasing an additional 19,697 shares in the last quarter. 74.59% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MRK has been the subject of several research reports. TheStreet lowered shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from an “a-” rating to a “c+” rating in a report on Friday, September 1st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft started coverage on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Thursday, November 9th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $115.00 price target for the company. Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $135.00 price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Wednesday, November 15th. Truist Financial reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $122.00 price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Friday, October 6th. Finally, StockNews.com started coverage on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Thursday, October 5th. They issued a “buy” rating for the company. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seventeen have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Merck & Co., Inc. currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $125.14.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE MRK traded up $0.31 during trading on Monday, reaching $102.06. 1,996,117 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 7,443,224. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $104.09 and a 200-day simple moving average of $108.21. The company has a quick ratio of 1.12, a current ratio of 1.38 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.82. The stock has a market capitalization of $258.62 billion, a PE ratio of 56.33, a P/E/G ratio of 8.82 and a beta of 0.37. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 52-week low of $96.36 and a 52-week high of $119.65.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 26th. The company reported $2.13 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.94 by $0.19. The company had revenue of $16 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $15.30 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 7.77% and a return on equity of 18.26%. The firm’s revenue was up 7.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.85 earnings per share. Equities research analysts anticipate that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 1.37 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Merck & Co., Inc. news, insider Johannes Jacobus Oosthuizen sold 2,081 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, November 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $102.38, for a total transaction of $213,052.78. Following the sale, the insider now owns 18,191 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,862,394.58. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. In other Merck & Co., Inc. news, insider Johannes Jacobus Oosthuizen sold 2,081 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, November 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $102.38, for a total transaction of $213,052.78. Following the sale, the insider now owns 18,191 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,862,394.58. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Richard R. Deluca sold 43,823 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $105.03, for a total transaction of $4,602,729.69. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 111,764 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,738,572.92. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.20% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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, as well as vaccine products, such as preventive pediatric, adolescent, and adult vaccines.