Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK Shares Sold by Inscription Capital LLC

Inscription Capital LLC decreased its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 23.5% in the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 20,280 shares of the company’s stock after selling 6,234 shares during the period. Inscription Capital LLC’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $2,947,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of MRK. Curry Webb Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the 3rd quarter worth about $29,000. Horizons Wealth Management acquired a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the third quarter worth approximately $30,000. Bullseye Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. in the second quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Graney & King LLC grew its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 400.0% in the second quarter. Graney & King LLC now owns 250 shares of the company’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares during the period. Finally, Foresight Capital Management Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. in the third quarter valued at approximately $43,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.07% of the company’s stock.

Merck & Co., Inc. News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Merck & Co., Inc. this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Argus initiated coverage with a “strong buy” rating. Other coverage also cited a Wall Street “moderate buy” consensus and bullish forecasts, including a Cantor Fitzgerald price-target increase; the reports provided no target details. Read More., Read More., Read More., Read More..
• Positive Sentiment: Keytruda and Gardasil sales increased in the third quarter, providing support for revenue growth. Read More..
• Neutral Sentiment: A Baron Capital investor letter characterized business development as supporting Merck’s next growth phase, but the supplied excerpt gives no specific deal or forecast details. Read More..
• Negative Sentiment: Growth durability remains a concern: the Zacks report flags inventory reversals, slowing demand and looming competition as potential challenges to Keytruda and Gardasil momentum. Read More..

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Richard Deluca sold 11,699 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $131.63, for a total value of $1,539,939.37. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 110,167 shares in the company, valued at approximately $14,501,282.21. This trade represents a 9.60% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Chirfi Guindo sold 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $135.00, for a total transaction of $1,350,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 36,613 shares in the company, valued at $4,942,755. The trade was a 21.45% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last quarter, insiders sold 135,635 shares of company stock valued at $18,011,040. 0.17% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Performance

Merck & Co., Inc. stock opened at $146.76 on Friday. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $146.45 and its 200-day moving average is $127.45. The company has a market cap of $362.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 151.30, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.83 and a beta of 0.13. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22, a current ratio of 1.32 and a quick ratio of 1.10. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 12 month low of $84.35 and a 12 month high of $156.92.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 29th. The company reported $2.49 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.09 by $0.40. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 16.56% and a net margin of 3.64%. The business had revenue of $18.09 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $17.33 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $2.58 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 4.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts anticipate that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 2.85 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts recently commented on the stock. Leerink Partners upped their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $127.00 to $161.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 9th. Cantor Fitzgerald lifted their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $145.00 to $155.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday. Barclays boosted their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $150.00 to $180.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, October 26th. DZ Bank cut shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $153.00 price objective for the company. in a research note on Tuesday. Finally, Guggenheim upped their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $170.00 to $171.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, October 30th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have assigned a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $155.74.

Merck & Co., Inc. Profile

Merck & Co, Inc is a global healthcare company that develops, manufactures and markets prescription medicines, vaccines and animal-health products. Its pharmaceutical business focuses on oncology, infectious diseases, cardiology, immunology and other areas of significant medical need. The company serves patients, healthcare providers and institutions in markets worldwide.

Merck’s principal products include Keytruda, an immunotherapy used to treat a range of cancers; Gardasil and Gardasil 9, vaccines that help protect against human papillomavirus; and Januvia and Janumet, medicines used to manage type 2 diabetes.