AEGON ASSET MANAGEMENT UK Plc Has $105.24 Million Stake in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

AEGON ASSET MANAGEMENT UK Plc lowered its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 5.3% in the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,262,325 shares of the company’s stock after selling 70,398 shares during the period. Merck & Co., Inc. makes up about 1.2% of AEGON ASSET MANAGEMENT UK Plc’s portfolio, making the stock its 14th largest holding. AEGON ASSET MANAGEMENT UK Plc owned approximately 0.05% of Merck & Co., Inc. worth $105,240,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Instrumental Wealth LLC grew its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 5.7% during the third quarter. Instrumental Wealth LLC now owns 3,388 shares of the company’s stock worth $292,000 after buying an additional 182 shares in the last quarter. Monte Financial Group LLC lifted its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 4.7% during the 3rd quarter. Monte Financial Group LLC now owns 51,379 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,312,000 after acquiring an additional 2,289 shares during the period. Avantax Planning Partners Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 8.1% during the 3rd quarter. Avantax Planning Partners Inc. now owns 109,670 shares of the company’s stock worth $9,205,000 after purchasing an additional 8,262 shares in the last quarter. Values Added Financial LLC raised its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 7.8% in the third quarter. Values Added Financial LLC now owns 3,377 shares of the company’s stock valued at $283,000 after purchasing an additional 243 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Patron Partners LLC lifted its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 3.2% during the third quarter. Patron Partners LLC now owns 11,029 shares of the company’s stock worth $926,000 after purchasing an additional 337 shares during the period. 76.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP David Michael Williams sold 8,614 shares of Merck & Co., Inc. stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 24,578 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,054,475.02. The trade was a 25.95% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 0.09% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Performance

Merck & Co., Inc. stock opened at $108.12 on Monday. The business has a 50 day moving average of $103.94 and a 200-day moving average of $91.12. The company has a market capitalization of $268.34 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.28, a P/E/G ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.29. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 1 year low of $73.31 and a 1 year high of $112.90. 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 announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 3rd. The company reported $1.94 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.08 by ($0.14). Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 29.63% and a return on equity of 44.54%. On average, equities research analysts predict that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 earnings per share for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 8th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 15th were paid a $0.85 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 15th. This is a positive change from Merck & Co., Inc.’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.81. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.1%. Merck & Co., Inc.’s payout ratio is currently 44.91%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have recently commented on MRK. UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $105.00 to $130.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 7th. Wolfe Research raised Merck & Co., Inc. from a “peer perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $135.00 target price on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 8th. Bank of America lifted their price target 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. Wall Street Zen downgraded Merck & Co., Inc. from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, January 17th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets upgraded Merck & Co., Inc. from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and lifted their target price for the company from $82.00 to $130.00 in a research report on Thursday, December 18th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Merck & Co., Inc. has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $114.20.

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.