Vest Financial LLC Increases Stock Position in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK)

Vest Financial LLC raised its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 14.7% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 12,157 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,561 shares during the period. Vest Financial LLC’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $1,209,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of MRK. AMF Tjanstepension AB grew its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 114.2% in the third quarter. AMF Tjanstepension AB now owns 802,384 shares of the company’s stock worth $91,205,000 after acquiring an additional 427,831 shares during the period. LVW Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 15.1% in the third quarter. LVW Advisors LLC now owns 7,820 shares of the company’s stock worth $888,000 after purchasing an additional 1,028 shares during the last quarter. Juncture Wealth Strategies LLC grew its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 13.7% in the 3rd quarter. Juncture Wealth Strategies LLC now owns 2,311 shares of the company’s stock worth $262,000 after purchasing an additional 278 shares during the period. Livforsakringsbolaget Skandia Omsesidigt raised its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 34.6% during the 3rd quarter. Livforsakringsbolaget Skandia Omsesidigt now owns 167,097 shares of the company’s stock valued at $19,056,000 after buying an additional 42,990 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Fiduciary Financial Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 4.2% during the 3rd quarter. Fiduciary Financial Group LLC now owns 6,582 shares of the company’s stock valued at $714,000 after buying an additional 267 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 76.07% of the company’s stock.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Down 0.9 %

Shares of MRK stock opened at $87.26 on Friday. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $98.72 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $106.60. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 52 week low of $87.12 and a 52 week high of $134.63. The stock has a market cap of $220.73 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.97, a PEG ratio of 0.83 and a beta of 0.38. The company has a quick ratio of 1.15, a current ratio of 1.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.79.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 4th. The company reported $1.72 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.85 by ($0.13). Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 26.67% and a return on equity of 45.35%. The firm had revenue of $15.62 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $15.51 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.03 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 6.8% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts predict that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 7th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 17th will be paid a dividend of $0.81 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 17th. This represents a $3.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.71%. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio is currently 48.14%.

Merck & Co., Inc. announced that its board has authorized a stock buyback plan on Tuesday, January 28th that permits the company to buyback $10.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the company to reacquire up to 4.1% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are generally an indication that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have weighed in on MRK. Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $113.00 to $106.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday. Sanford C. Bernstein initiated coverage on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Thursday, October 17th. They issued a “market perform” rating and a $115.00 price objective on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $125.00 to $110.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, November 1st. Daiwa America cut shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, November 11th. Finally, Wolfe Research initiated coverage on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Friday, November 15th. They set a “peer perform” rating for the company. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and three have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Merck & Co., Inc. presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $120.33.

Insider Activity at Merck & Co., Inc.

In other Merck & Co., Inc. news, insider Cristal N. Downing sold 2,361 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $88.76, for a total value of $209,562.36. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 7,085 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $628,864.60. This trade represents a 24.99 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Inge G. Thulin purchased 2,833 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 6th. The shares were bought at an average price of $88.25 per share, for a total transaction of $250,012.25. Following the purchase, the director now directly owns 2,933 shares in the company, valued at $258,837.25. This represents a 2,833.00 % increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 0.09% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

About Merck & Co., Inc.

Merck & Co, Inc is a health care company, which engages in the provision of health solutions through its prescription medicines, vaccines, biologic therapies, animal health, and consumer care products. It operates through the following segments: Pharmaceutical, Animal Health, and Other. The Pharmaceutical segment includes human health pharmaceutical and vaccine products.