Valley National Advisers Inc. Acquires 25,843 Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Valley National Advisers Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 124.8% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 46,553 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 25,843 shares during the quarter. Valley National Advisers Inc.’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $3,906,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the business. J. L. Bainbridge & Co. Inc. bought a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. in the 3rd quarter valued at $208,000. Cahaba Wealth Management Inc. boosted its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 5.6% during the third quarter. Cahaba Wealth Management Inc. now owns 2,955 shares of the company’s stock worth $248,000 after purchasing an additional 158 shares during the period. Perigon Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 22.9% in the third quarter. Perigon Wealth Management LLC now owns 75,489 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,336,000 after purchasing an additional 14,081 shares during the last quarter. Thompson Investment Management Inc. raised its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 35.2% in the third quarter. Thompson Investment Management Inc. now owns 24,924 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,092,000 after purchasing an additional 6,495 shares during the period. Finally, Rede Wealth LLC bought a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the third quarter valued at about $447,000. 76.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MRK has been the topic of a number of research reports. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, November 8th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $92.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 2nd. Wells Fargo & Company raised Merck & Co., Inc. from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and upped their target price for the company from $90.00 to $125.00 in a research report on Monday, November 24th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $110.00 to $111.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 18th. Finally, Bank of America boosted 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. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Merck & Co., Inc. presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $110.13.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Up 0.4%

Shares of MRK opened at $106.90 on Friday. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 12 month low of $73.31 and a 12 month high of $107.05. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $95.49 and its 200-day moving average is $87.12. The stock has a market capitalization of $265.33 billion, a PE ratio of 14.12, a P/E/G ratio of 1.02 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.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last issued its quarterly 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 forecast that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 EPS for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 8th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 15th will be given a dividend of $0.85 per share. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.2%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 15th. This is a positive change from Merck & Co., Inc.’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.81. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio is currently 44.91%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Merck & Co., Inc.

In other news, EVP David Michael Williams sold 8,614 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, November 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $83.59, for a total transaction of $720,044.26. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 24,578 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,054,475.02. This represents a 25.95% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

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.