Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK Stock Position Raised by Generali Asset Management SPA SGR

Generali Asset Management SPA SGR increased its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 42.0% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 340,540 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 100,726 shares during the quarter. Generali Asset Management SPA SGR’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $28,582,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. True Wealth Design LLC grew its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 219.0% during the third quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 2,817 shares of the company’s stock valued at $236,000 after purchasing an additional 1,934 shares during the last quarter. Wealth Management Associates Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 5.5% in the 3rd quarter. Wealth Management Associates Inc. now owns 11,886 shares of the company’s stock worth $998,000 after purchasing an additional 622 shares during the last quarter. Financial Consulate Inc. acquired a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $744,000. Salomon & Ludwin LLC boosted its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 23.6% during the 3rd quarter. Salomon & Ludwin LLC now owns 2,288 shares of the company’s stock valued at $204,000 after purchasing an additional 437 shares during the period. Finally, Ninety One SA PTY Ltd bought a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. during the 3rd quarter worth $1,662,000. Institutional investors own 76.07% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on MRK shares. Bank of America raised their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $105.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, December 15th. Scotiabank lifted their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $105.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “sector outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 4th. Berenberg Bank lowered shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and reduced their target price for the company from $100.00 to $90.00 in a research note on Wednesday, September 17th. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Monday. Finally, BMO Capital Markets raised Merck & Co., Inc. from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and lifted their price target for the company from $82.00 to $130.00 in a report on Thursday, December 18th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $110.13.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP David Michael Williams sold 8,614 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, November 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $83.59, for a total value of $720,044.26. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 24,578 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,054,475.02. The trade was a 25.95% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Company insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Down 0.8%

Merck & Co., Inc. stock opened at $105.20 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $261.11 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.90, a PEG ratio of 1.00 and a beta of 0.29. The company has a current ratio of 1.66, a quick ratio of 1.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $96.98 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $87.76. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 52 week low of $73.31 and a 52 week high of $107.59.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 30th. The company reported $1.94 earnings per share for the quarter. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 29.63% and a return on equity of 44.54%. On average, 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 declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 8th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.85 per share. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 15th. This is an increase from Merck & Co., Inc.’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.81. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio is 44.91%.

About Merck & Co., Inc.

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.