Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) Shares Sold by Key Client Fiduciary Advisors LLC

Key Client Fiduciary Advisors LLC cut its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 8.2% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 7,942 shares of the company’s stock after selling 714 shares during the quarter. Key Client Fiduciary Advisors LLC’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $790,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of MRK. Apeiron RIA LLC raised its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 33.4% in the 4th quarter. Apeiron RIA LLC now owns 3,123 shares of the company’s stock valued at $311,000 after purchasing an additional 782 shares during the last quarter. Secure Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 1.0% during the fourth quarter. Secure Asset Management LLC now owns 28,447 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,830,000 after buying an additional 293 shares in the last quarter. Red Door Wealth Management LLC raised its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 5.1% in the fourth quarter. Red Door Wealth Management LLC now owns 75,050 shares of the company’s stock valued at $7,466,000 after buying an additional 3,613 shares during the last quarter. Galvin Gaustad & Stein LLC lifted its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 4.7% during the fourth quarter. Galvin Gaustad & Stein LLC now owns 4,208 shares of the company’s stock valued at $419,000 after buying an additional 189 shares during the period. Finally, Cardinal Capital Management Inc. boosted its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.0% during the fourth quarter. Cardinal Capital Management Inc. now owns 230,852 shares of the company’s stock worth $22,965,000 after acquiring an additional 4,588 shares during the last quarter. 76.07% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Performance

Shares of MRK opened at $96.57 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $244.28 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.24, a PEG ratio of 1.13 and a beta of 0.39. The company has a quick ratio of 1.15, a current ratio of 1.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.79. The business’s 50 day moving average is $99.85 and its two-hundred day moving average is $109.11. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 52-week low of $94.48 and a 52-week high of $134.63.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The company reported $1.57 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.50 by $0.07. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 19.23% and a return on equity of 36.42%. The firm had revenue of $16.66 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $16.47 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $2.13 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 4.4% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts forecast that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 7.7 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 8th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 16th were given a dividend of $0.81 per share. This is a boost from Merck & Co., Inc.’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.77. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 16th. This represents a $3.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.36%. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 67.92%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have weighed in on the company. Truist Financial reissued a “hold” rating and set a $110.00 price target (down previously from $130.00) on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. Sanford C. Bernstein began coverage on Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. They issued a “market perform” rating and a $115.00 price target on the stock. Hsbc Global Res raised shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 4th. Barclays decreased their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $142.00 to $140.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, October 7th. Finally, Wolfe Research assumed coverage on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Friday, November 15th. They set a “peer perform” rating on the stock. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and four have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $123.00.

Merck & Co., Inc. Company Profile

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.