Mark Sheptoff Financial Planning LLC Cuts Position in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK)

Mark Sheptoff Financial Planning LLC reduced its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 7.4% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 6,918 shares of the company’s stock after selling 550 shares during the period. Mark Sheptoff Financial Planning LLC’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $688,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. UNIVEST FINANCIAL Corp boosted its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 5.2% during the 4th quarter. UNIVEST FINANCIAL Corp now owns 46,075 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,584,000 after acquiring an additional 2,273 shares in the last quarter. Morey & Quinn Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. in the fourth quarter valued at $359,000. Murphy & Mullick Capital Management Corp purchased a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the fourth quarter valued at $912,000. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp raised its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 14.4% during the 4th quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp now owns 1,777,711 shares of the company’s stock worth $176,847,000 after buying an additional 223,517 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Florida Financial Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 23.2% in the 4th quarter. Florida Financial Advisors LLC now owns 5,038 shares of the company’s stock worth $501,000 after buying an additional 948 shares in the last quarter. 76.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Down 4.8 %

Shares of NYSE:MRK opened at $87.88 on Wednesday. The company’s fifty day moving average is $92.60 and its two-hundred day moving average is $100.57. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.79, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a current ratio of 1.36. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 1-year low of $81.04 and a 1-year high of $134.63. The stock has a market capitalization of $221.99 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.06, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.77 and a beta of 0.35.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The company reported $1.72 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.85 by ($0.13). The business had revenue of $15.62 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $15.51 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 45.35% and a net margin of 26.67%. The business’s revenue was up 6.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.03 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 EPS for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock repurchase plan on Tuesday, January 28th that allows the company to buyback $10.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the company to buy up to 4.1% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are generally a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 7th. Investors of record on Monday, March 17th will be paid a dividend of $0.81 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 17th. This represents a $3.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.69%. Merck & Co., Inc.’s payout ratio is currently 48.14%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Inge G. Thulin acquired 2,833 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 6th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $88.25 per share, with a total value of $250,012.25. Following the acquisition, the director now directly owns 2,933 shares in the company, valued at approximately $258,837.25. The trade was a 2,833.00 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Cristal N. Downing sold 2,361 shares of Merck & Co., Inc. stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $88.76, for a total transaction of $209,562.36. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 7,085 shares in the company, valued at approximately $628,864.60. This represents a 24.99 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.09% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on MRK shares. Citigroup reduced their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $125.00 to $115.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered Merck & Co., Inc. from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and decreased their price objective for the company from $128.00 to $105.00 in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. TD Cowen downgraded shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and cut their target price for the company from $121.00 to $100.00 in a research note on Monday, February 10th. TD Securities cut shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and decreased their price target for the stock from $121.00 to $100.00 in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Finally, Truist Financial reiterated a “hold” rating and set a $110.00 price target (down from $130.00) on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and three have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Merck & Co., Inc. presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $117.12.

Merck & Co., Inc. Company Profile

Merck & Co, Inc is a health care company, which engages in the provision of health solutions through its prescription medicines, vaccines, biologic therapies, animal health, and consumer care products. It operates through the following segments: Pharmaceutical, Animal Health, and Other. The Pharmaceutical segment includes human health pharmaceutical and vaccine products.