BankPlus Trust Department Boosts Holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

BankPlus Trust Department grew its position in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 80.0% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 10,857 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 4,826 shares during the quarter. BankPlus Trust Department’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $911,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Founders Grove Wealth Partners LLC lifted its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 12.2% in the third quarter. Founders Grove Wealth Partners LLC now owns 3,579 shares of the company’s stock worth $300,000 after purchasing an additional 388 shares during the last quarter. Valicenti Advisory Services Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the third quarter worth approximately $360,000. FSM Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 13.4% during the 3rd quarter. FSM Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 10,055 shares of the company’s stock worth $844,000 after acquiring an additional 1,188 shares during the last quarter. Apella Capital LLC lifted its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 22.7% during the 3rd quarter. Apella Capital LLC now owns 13,926 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,169,000 after acquiring an additional 2,579 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Banque de Luxembourg S.A. boosted its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 20.9% during the 3rd quarter. Banque de Luxembourg S.A. now owns 2,952 shares of the company’s stock valued at $248,000 after acquiring an additional 510 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 76.07% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP David Michael Williams sold 8,614 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $83.59, for a total transaction of $720,044.26. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 24,578 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,054,475.02. This represents a 25.95% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 0.13% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Merck & Co., Inc. Trading Up 0.4%

Shares of NYSE MRK opened at $106.90 on Friday. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 1-year low of $73.31 and a 1-year high of $107.05. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $95.49 and a 200 day moving average price of $87.12. The stock has a market capitalization of $265.33 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.12, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 0.29. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77, a current ratio of 1.66 and a quick ratio of 1.44.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last posted its earnings results on Friday, January 30th. The company reported $1.94 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 44.54% and a net margin of 29.63%. Equities research analysts expect that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 8th. Investors of record on Monday, December 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.85 per share. This is a boost from Merck & Co., Inc.’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.81. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 15th. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.2%. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 44.91%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have weighed in on MRK shares. Bank of America increased their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $105.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, December 15th. BMO Capital Markets raised shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and raised their price target for the stock from $82.00 to $130.00 in a research note on Thursday, December 18th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Monday, December 22nd. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $100.00 to $102.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, December 12th. Finally, Citigroup assumed coverage on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Monday, October 13th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $95.00 target price on the stock. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Merck & Co., Inc. presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $110.13.

Merck & Co., Inc. Company Profile

Merck & Co, Inc is a global biopharmaceutical company engaged in the discovery, development, manufacture and marketing of prescription medicines, vaccines, biologic therapies and animal health products. Its portfolio spans multiple therapeutic areas with a particular emphasis on oncology, vaccines and infectious disease, as well as therapies for metabolic and chronic conditions. Among its well-known products are the cancer immunotherapy Keytruda (pembrolizumab) and the human papillomavirus vaccine Gardasil; the company also markets a range of medicines and vaccines for veterinary use through Merck Animal Health.

Founded in the late 19th century as the U.S.