Peregrine Asset Advisers Inc. grew its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK – Free Report) by 48.4% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 21,499 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 7,014 shares during the period. Merck & Co., Inc. comprises about 1.1% of Peregrine Asset Advisers Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 26th biggest position. Peregrine Asset Advisers Inc.’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $2,344,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.
Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Bare Financial Services Inc purchased a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the 4th quarter worth about $28,000. Rakuten Securities Inc. purchased a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $30,000. RIA Advisory Group LLC purchased a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. during the fourth quarter worth $30,000. Ruedi Wealth Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 180.2% in the third quarter. Ruedi Wealth Management Inc. now owns 311 shares of the company’s stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 200 shares during the last quarter. Finally, AlphaMark Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the fourth quarter valued at $34,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.07% of the company’s stock.
Insider Buying and Selling at Merck & Co., Inc.
In other news, insider Joseph Romanelli sold 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $124.89, for a total value of $124,890.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 19,569 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,443,972.41. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. 0.09% of the stock is owned by insiders.
Merck & Co., Inc. Price Performance
Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK – Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, April 25th. The company reported $2.07 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.94 by $0.13. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 14.15% and a net margin of 3.76%. The business had revenue of $15.78 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $15.21 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.40 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.9% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts predict that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 8.69 EPS for the current year.
Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth
A number of research firms have issued reports on MRK. Truist Financial upped their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $142.00 to $143.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, April 26th. Berenberg Bank upped their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $140.00 to $143.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, April 8th. Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $135.00 price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Thursday, April 18th. UBS Group boosted their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $135.00 to $148.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 2nd. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 2nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $131.33.
Get Our Latest Stock Analysis on Merck & Co., Inc.
Merck & Co., Inc. Company Profile
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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