Paragon Capital Management Inc. Takes Position in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK)

Paragon Capital Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm purchased 14,975 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,490,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Sargent Investment Group LLC boosted its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 51.2% during the 4th quarter. Sargent Investment Group LLC now owns 18,856 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,904,000 after buying an additional 6,386 shares during the period. Old North State Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 6.4% during the fourth quarter. Old North State Wealth Management LLC now owns 15,167 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,511,000 after acquiring an additional 914 shares in the last quarter. Cassia Capital Partners LLC raised its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 48.0% during the fourth quarter. Cassia Capital Partners LLC now owns 11,195 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,114,000 after acquiring an additional 3,632 shares in the last quarter. Avitas Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 16.5% during the fourth quarter. Avitas Wealth Management LLC now owns 55,585 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,530,000 after purchasing an additional 7,863 shares during the last quarter. Finally, James J. Burns & Company LLC purchased a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. in the fourth quarter valued at about $627,000. 76.07% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Down 8.8 %

Shares of NYSE MRK opened at $90.99 on Wednesday. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 52-week low of $87.33 and a 52-week high of $134.63. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.79, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a current ratio of 1.36. The stock has a market cap of $230.16 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.07, a P/E/G ratio of 1.20 and a beta of 0.38. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $99.80 and a 200 day moving average price of $107.37.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 4th. The company reported $1.72 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.85 by ($0.13). Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 19.23% and a return on equity of 36.42%. The firm had revenue of $15.62 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $15.51 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.03 EPS. Merck & Co., Inc.’s quarterly revenue was up 6.8% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts expect that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 7.62 EPS for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock buyback program on Tuesday, January 28th that authorizes the company to buyback $10.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the company to buy up to 4.1% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are usually a sign that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 7th. Investors of record on Monday, March 17th will be paid a dividend of $0.81 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 17th. This represents a $3.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.56%. Merck & Co., Inc.’s payout ratio is 67.92%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MRK has been the subject of several research reports. Bank of America reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $121.00 price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. Daiwa Capital Markets downgraded shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, November 11th. Daiwa America lowered shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, November 11th. BMO Capital Markets downgraded shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating and lowered their target price for the stock from $136.00 to $105.00 in a research report on Friday, December 20th. Finally, Truist Financial reiterated 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. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and three have assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $122.67.

Merck & Co., Inc. 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.