Kovack Advisors Inc. Boosts Holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK)

Kovack Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 8.7% in the first quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 25,896 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 2,063 shares during the quarter. Kovack Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $3,417,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Kennedy Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 16.7% in the 3rd quarter. Kennedy Capital Management LLC now owns 12,573 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,294,000 after acquiring an additional 1,795 shares during the period. Jackson Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.7% during the 3rd quarter. Jackson Wealth Management LLC now owns 46,199 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,756,000 after purchasing an additional 341 shares during the period. Shakespeare Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. during the 3rd quarter worth $268,000. Seven Eight Capital LP acquired a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. in the third quarter valued at $11,909,000. Finally, Sei Investments Co. raised its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.7% in the third quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 1,517,525 shares of the company’s stock valued at $156,229,000 after buying an additional 10,763 shares during the last quarter. 76.07% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Performance

NYSE:MRK opened at $125.85 on Friday. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $129.33 and its 200-day simple moving average is $124.71. The company has a quick ratio of 0.99, a current ratio of 1.25 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77. The stock has a market cap of $318.75 billion, a PE ratio of 139.83, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.43 and a beta of 0.38. Merck & Co., Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $99.14 and a fifty-two week high of $134.63.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, April 25th. The company reported $2.07 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.94 by $0.13. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 3.76% and a return on equity of 14.05%. The company had revenue of $15.78 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $15.21 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.40 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts expect that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 8.62 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, July 8th. Investors of record on Monday, June 17th will be paid a $0.77 dividend. This represents a $3.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.45%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 17th. Merck & Co., Inc.’s payout ratio is currently 342.22%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on MRK. Berenberg Bank increased their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $140.00 to $143.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, April 8th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $130.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 27th. Argus raised Merck & Co., Inc. to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, June 5th. Societe Generale downgraded Merck & Co., Inc. from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating and set a $104.00 price target for the company. in a report on Monday, March 11th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $155.00 price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Tuesday, June 18th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Merck & Co., Inc. presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $133.00.

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.