Stockman Wealth Management Inc. Acquires 9,111 Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Stockman Wealth Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 5.4% during the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 177,975 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 9,111 shares during the period. Merck & Co., Inc. comprises 1.9% of Stockman Wealth Management Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 17th biggest holding. Stockman Wealth Management Inc.’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $14,937,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. New Hampshire Trust boosted its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 10.2% in the third quarter. New Hampshire Trust now owns 59,215 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,970,000 after acquiring an additional 5,471 shares during the period. Meyer Handelman Co. lifted its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 1.6% in the 3rd quarter. Meyer Handelman Co. now owns 377,173 shares of the company’s stock worth $31,656,000 after purchasing an additional 6,025 shares in the last quarter. One Plus One Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. in the 3rd quarter valued at $210,000. HBW Advisory Services LLC boosted its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 1.8% in the 3rd quarter. HBW Advisory Services LLC now owns 33,565 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,817,000 after purchasing an additional 592 shares during the period. Finally, Ellsworth Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 11.9% during the 3rd quarter. Ellsworth Advisors LLC now owns 15,994 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,345,000 after purchasing an additional 1,698 shares in the last quarter. 76.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Merck & Co., Inc. news, EVP David Michael Williams sold 8,614 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $83.59, for a total value of $720,044.26. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 24,578 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,054,475.02. The trade was a 25.95% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.13% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on MRK. BMO Capital Markets upgraded Merck & Co., Inc. from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and increased their price objective for the stock from $82.00 to $130.00 in a research report on Thursday, December 18th. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $100.00 to $102.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, December 12th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $110.00 to $111.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 18th. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Monday. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $92.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 2nd. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Merck & Co., Inc. has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $110.13.

Merck & Co., Inc. Trading Up 0.4%

MRK stock opened at $106.90 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $265.33 billion, a PE ratio of 14.12, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.01 and a beta of 0.29. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 1.44 and a current ratio of 1.66. Merck & Co., Inc. has a one year low of $73.31 and a one year high of $107.05. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $95.49 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $87.08.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last issued its earnings results on Friday, January 30th. The company reported $1.94 EPS for the quarter. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 29.63% and a return on equity of 44.54%. As a group, analysts predict that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 8th. Investors of record on Monday, December 15th will be given a dividend of $0.85 per share. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.2%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 15th. This is a positive change from Merck & Co., Inc.’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.81. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio is 44.91%.

Merck & Co., Inc. Company Profile

Merck & Co, Inc is a global biopharmaceutical company engaged in the discovery, development, manufacture and marketing of prescription medicines, vaccines, biologic therapies and animal health products. Its portfolio spans multiple therapeutic areas with a particular emphasis on oncology, vaccines and infectious disease, as well as therapies for metabolic and chronic conditions. Among its well-known products are the cancer immunotherapy Keytruda (pembrolizumab) and the human papillomavirus vaccine Gardasil; the company also markets a range of medicines and vaccines for veterinary use through Merck Animal Health.

Founded in the late 19th century as the U.S.