Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) Shares Purchased by Duncker Streett & Co. Inc.

Duncker Streett & Co. Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 7.9% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 30,488 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 2,237 shares during the period. Duncker Streett & Co. Inc.’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $3,033,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Sherman Asset Management Inc. acquired a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. during the fourth quarter worth $196,000. Onefund LLC grew its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.7% in the fourth quarter. Onefund LLC now owns 6,838 shares of the company’s stock valued at $680,000 after purchasing an additional 181 shares during the last quarter. Nixon Peabody Trust Co. grew its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.2% in the fourth quarter. Nixon Peabody Trust Co. now owns 84,010 shares of the company’s stock valued at $8,357,000 after purchasing an additional 1,801 shares during the last quarter. Middleton & Co. Inc. MA grew its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 6.1% in the fourth quarter. Middleton & Co. Inc. MA now owns 146,568 shares of the company’s stock valued at $14,581,000 after purchasing an additional 8,406 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Flaharty Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 7.6% in the fourth quarter. Flaharty Asset Management LLC now owns 2,545 shares of the company’s stock valued at $253,000 after purchasing an additional 180 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.07% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Inge G. Thulin bought 2,833 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 6th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $88.25 per share, for a total transaction of $250,012.25. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now owns 2,933 shares in the company, valued at $258,837.25. This represents a 2,833.00 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Cristal N. Downing sold 2,361 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 6th. The shares were 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 position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.09% of the company’s stock.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Performance

NYSE MRK opened at $92.23 on Friday. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $94.63 and its 200 day moving average price is $103.37. Merck & Co., Inc. has a twelve month low of $81.04 and a twelve month high of $134.63. The company has a market capitalization of $232.98 billion, a PE ratio of 13.70, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.77 and a beta of 0.38. The company has a current ratio of 1.36, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.79.

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

Merck & Co., Inc. announced that its board has initiated a share repurchase plan on Tuesday, January 28th that authorizes the company to repurchase $10.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the company to buy up to 4.1% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are typically an indication that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 7th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 17th will be issued a $0.81 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 17th. This represents a $3.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.51%. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 48.14%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have weighed in on MRK. BMO Capital Markets lowered their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $105.00 to $96.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. Hsbc Global Res raised Merck & Co., Inc. from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 4th. Daiwa Capital Markets lowered Merck & Co., Inc. from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, November 11th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered Merck & Co., Inc. from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and lowered their target price for the company from $128.00 to $105.00 in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. Finally, Citigroup reduced their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $125.00 to $115.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, February 5th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have issued a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and three have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $116.39.

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.