Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) Shares Sold by Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc.

Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. decreased its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 2.9% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 450,791 shares of the company’s stock after selling 13,408 shares during the period. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $44,845,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Capital Advantage Inc. acquired a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $948,000. BOKF NA increased its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 13.8% in the 4th quarter. BOKF NA now owns 342,550 shares of the company’s stock valued at $33,998,000 after purchasing an additional 41,452 shares during the last quarter. Bosun Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 14.0% in the 4th quarter. Bosun Asset Management LLC now owns 2,200 shares of the company’s stock valued at $219,000 after purchasing an additional 271 shares in the last quarter. Bridgeway Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 15.9% during the 4th quarter. Bridgeway Capital Management LLC now owns 215,112 shares of the company’s stock worth $21,399,000 after purchasing an additional 29,549 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Brooks Moore & Associates Inc. grew its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.5% during the fourth quarter. Brooks Moore & Associates Inc. now owns 47,756 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,751,000 after purchasing an additional 220 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.07% of the company’s stock.

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

In other Merck & Co., Inc. news, SVP Dalton E. Smart III sold 4,262 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, April 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $82.76, for a total value of $352,723.12. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 7,778 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $643,707.28. This trade represents a 35.40 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Cristal N. Downing sold 2,361 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $88.76, for a total transaction of $209,562.36. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 7,085 shares in the company, valued at approximately $628,864.60. This trade 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.

Merck & Co., Inc. Price Performance

Merck & Co., Inc. stock opened at $79.11 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.79, a current ratio of 1.36 and a quick ratio of 1.15. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $86.17 and a 200-day simple moving average of $93.82. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 12 month low of $75.93 and a 12 month high of $134.63. The stock has a market capitalization of $199.49 billion, a PE ratio of 11.75, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.77 and a beta of 0.43.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 24th. The company reported $2.22 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.16 by $0.06. The company had revenue of $15.53 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $15.59 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 26.67% and a return on equity of 45.35%. Merck & Co., Inc.’s quarterly revenue was down 1.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.07 EPS. Equities analysts predict that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 earnings per share for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock repurchase program on Tuesday, January 28th that authorizes the company to buyback $10.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the company to repurchase up to 4.1% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are usually a sign that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MRK has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Truist Financial reaffirmed 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. Cantor Fitzgerald assumed coverage on Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Tuesday, April 22nd. They set a “neutral” rating and a $85.00 target price for the company. Bank of America dropped their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $118.00 to $112.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. TD Cowen downgraded shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and reduced their price objective for the stock from $121.00 to $100.00 in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets dropped their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $105.00 to $96.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, February 5th. Twelve equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and three have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $111.13.

About Merck & Co., Inc.

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.