Mattern Wealth Management LLC Buys 244 Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK)

Mattern Wealth Management LLC raised its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 3.3% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 7,583 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 244 shares during the quarter. Mattern Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $681,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of MRK. Financial Enhancement Group LLC purchased a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. during the first quarter valued at approximately $428,000. Fourth Dimension Wealth LLC increased its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 16.1% during the first quarter. Fourth Dimension Wealth LLC now owns 1,084 shares of the company’s stock worth $97,000 after purchasing an additional 150 shares in the last quarter. Symmetry Partners LLC increased its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 7.1% during the first quarter. Symmetry Partners LLC now owns 2,579 shares of the company’s stock worth $232,000 after purchasing an additional 172 shares in the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.5% during the 1st quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 28,252 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,536,000 after purchasing an additional 701 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Retirement Guys Formula LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the 1st quarter worth $1,753,000. 76.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Wall Street Zen downgraded Merck & Co., Inc. from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, April 25th. Guggenheim restated a “buy” rating and set a $115.00 price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Thursday, April 17th. Cantor Fitzgerald lowered shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from an “overweight” rating to a “cautious” rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 20th. Finally, Citigroup reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $84.00 target price (down from $115.00) on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Wednesday, May 14th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have given a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $109.19.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, SVP Dalton E. Smart III sold 4,262 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, April 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $82.76, for a total transaction of $352,723.12. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 7,778 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $643,707.28. This represents a 35.40% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 0.09% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Merck & Co., Inc. Price Performance

NYSE:MRK opened at $80.38 on Wednesday. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $78.96 and its two-hundred day moving average is $88.11. The firm has a market cap of $201.82 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.70, a PEG ratio of 0.83 and a beta of 0.38. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 1.16 and a current ratio of 1.41. Merck & Co., Inc. has a one year low of $73.31 and a one year high of $134.63.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The company reported $2.22 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.16 by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $15.53 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $15.59 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 43.23% and a net margin of 27.27%. The company’s revenue was down 1.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $2.07 earnings per share. Research analysts expect that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 EPS for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, July 8th. Investors of record on Monday, June 16th will be paid a $0.81 dividend. This represents a $3.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.03%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 16th. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio is currently 47.16%.

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.