Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK Shares Sold by Core Alternative Capital

Core Alternative Capital lessened its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 13.0% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 44,113 shares of the company’s stock after selling 6,596 shares during the quarter. Core Alternative Capital’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $3,702,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in MRK. Braun Bostich & Associates Inc. increased its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 7.1% during the third quarter. Braun Bostich & Associates Inc. now owns 3,095 shares of the company’s stock worth $260,000 after acquiring an additional 204 shares during the last quarter. Stablepoint Partners LLC grew its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 15.1% during the 3rd quarter. Stablepoint Partners LLC now owns 70,629 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,928,000 after purchasing an additional 9,260 shares during the period. Yarger Wealth Strategies LLC increased its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 35.8% during the 3rd quarter. Yarger Wealth Strategies LLC now owns 7,044 shares of the company’s stock worth $591,000 after purchasing an additional 1,856 shares in the last quarter. Paragon Private Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. during the third quarter valued at approximately $258,000. Finally, Northstar Advisory Group LLC purchased a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. during the third quarter worth approximately $202,000. 76.07% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP David Michael Williams sold 8,614 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $83.59, for a total value of $720,044.26. Following the completion of the sale, 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 sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Company insiders own 0.09% of the company’s stock.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Performance

Shares of MRK opened at $107.90 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $267.81 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.25, a PEG ratio of 1.35 and a beta of 0.29. The company has a quick ratio of 1.44, a current ratio of 1.66 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77. The business’s 50 day moving average is $104.45 and its two-hundred day moving average is $91.46. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 52-week low of $73.31 and a 52-week high of $112.90.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 3rd. The company reported $1.94 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.08 by ($0.14). Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 44.54% and a net margin of 29.63%. Analysts forecast that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 7th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 16th will be given a dividend of $0.85 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 16th. 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%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group raised 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 note on Tuesday, December 2nd. BMO Capital Markets raised Merck & Co., Inc. from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and raised their price objective for the company from $82.00 to $130.00 in a research report on Thursday, December 18th. Zacks Research downgraded Merck & Co., Inc. from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Friday, January 9th. Wall Street Zen downgraded Merck & Co., Inc. from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, January 17th. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Monday, December 29th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Merck & Co., Inc. currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $114.53.

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.