Continental Investors Services Inc. Takes $714,000 Position in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK)

Continental Investors Services Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK – Get Rating) during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund bought 8,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $714,000.

Other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Legend Financial Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the 3rd quarter worth about $27,000. EdgeRock Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the third quarter worth approximately $30,000. Mach 1 Financial Group LLC purchased a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. during the 3rd quarter worth $30,000. New Millennium Group LLC bought a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. during the 2nd quarter valued at $35,000. Finally, Horizons Wealth Management purchased a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the 2nd quarter worth $42,000. Institutional investors own 72.89% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Merck & Co., Inc.

In related news, insider Sanat Chattopadhyay sold 83,994 shares of Merck & Co., Inc. stock in a transaction dated Monday, January 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $112.29, for a total value of $9,431,686.26. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 29,500 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,312,555. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In related news, EVP Steven Mizell sold 5,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $107.00, for a total transaction of $535,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 34,900 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,734,300. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Sanat Chattopadhyay sold 83,994 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, January 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $112.29, for a total value of $9,431,686.26. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 29,500 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,312,555. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 100,245 shares of company stock worth $11,168,256. 0.29% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Merck & Co., Inc. Trading Down 3.0 %

Shares of NYSE:MRK opened at $104.10 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.23, a current ratio of 1.47 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 52-week low of $78.63 and a 52-week high of $115.49. The stock has a market cap of $264.27 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.23, a PEG ratio of 1.95 and a beta of 0.34. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $108.19 and a 200-day moving average price of $102.15.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK – Get Rating) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 2nd. The company reported $1.62 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.56 by $0.06. The company had revenue of $13.83 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $13.66 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 24.49% and a return on equity of 43.47%. Merck & Co., Inc.’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.80 EPS. Equities analysts predict that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 6.88 EPS for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 10th. Investors of record on Wednesday, March 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.73 per share. This represents a $2.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.80%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 14th. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 51.14%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MRK has been the topic of several research reports. Mizuho restated a “buy” rating and set a $130.00 price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Friday. Barclays upped their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $110.00 to $128.00 in a research report on Tuesday, December 20th. Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $100.00 to $99.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 3rd. Berenberg Bank boosted their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $125.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, March 10th. Finally, StockNews.com started coverage on Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Thursday. They set a “buy” rating on the stock. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $119.35.

Merck & Co., Inc. Company Profile

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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.