West Paces Advisors Inc. Has $752,000 Position in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

West Paces Advisors Inc. cut its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 49.9% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 8,955 shares of the company’s stock after selling 8,911 shares during the quarter. West Paces Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $752,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in MRK. Legend Financial Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. during the 2nd quarter worth about $25,000. Darwin Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 237.4% during the third quarter. Darwin Wealth Management LLC now owns 307 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 216 shares during the last quarter. Kilter Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the second quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Bare Financial Services Inc increased its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 51.9% in the second quarter. Bare Financial Services Inc now owns 366 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 125 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Evolution Wealth Management Inc. bought a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $31,000. 76.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Merck & Co., Inc. Trading Up 1.2%

Shares of NYSE MRK opened at $106.48 on Monday. The company’s fifty day moving average is $97.36 and its 200-day moving average is $88.07. The stock has a market cap of $264.30 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.07, a P/E/G ratio of 1.09 and a beta of 0.29. Merck & Co., Inc. has a twelve month low of $73.31 and a twelve month high of $107.59. The company has a quick ratio of 1.44, a current ratio of 1.66 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77.

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

Merck & Co., Inc. Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 8th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 15th will be issued a $0.85 dividend. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.2%. This is an increase from Merck & Co., Inc.’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.81. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 15th. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio is currently 44.91%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have commented on MRK shares. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded Merck & Co., Inc. from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and increased their price objective for the company from $90.00 to $125.00 in a research report on Monday, November 24th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Monday, December 29th. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $92.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 2nd. Bank of America boosted their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $105.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, December 15th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, November 8th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $110.13.

Insider Activity at Merck & Co., Inc.

In other news, EVP David Michael Williams sold 8,614 shares of Merck & Co., Inc. stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $83.59, for a total transaction of $720,044.26. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 24,578 shares in the company, valued at $2,054,475.02. The trade was a 25.95% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.09% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.