Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) Shares Up 2.9% – Time to Buy?

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) shares were up 2.9% during trading on Monday . The company traded as high as $113.89 and last traded at $113.4380. Approximately 17,947,461 shares changed hands during trading, an increase of 42% from the average daily volume of 12,608,393 shares. The stock had previously closed at $110.27.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Monday, December 29th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $92.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 2nd. UBS Group raised their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $105.00 to $130.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 7th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $100.00 to $102.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, December 12th. Finally, TD Cowen increased their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $100.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 20th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have given a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $114.53.

Merck & Co., Inc. Price Performance

The stock has a market capitalization of $281.56 billion, a PE ratio of 14.99, a P/E/G ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 0.29. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77, a current ratio of 1.66 and a quick ratio of 1.44. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $105.20 and its 200 day simple moving average is $92.00.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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 net margin of 29.63% and a return on equity of 44.54%. As a group, equities 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 disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 7th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 16th will be issued a $0.85 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 16th. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.0%. Merck & Co., Inc.’s payout ratio is currently 44.91%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Merck & Co., Inc.

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Allegheny Financial Group increased its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.4% in the 4th quarter. Allegheny Financial Group now owns 29,703 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,127,000 after purchasing an additional 133 shares during the period. QRG Capital Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 9.5% in the fourth quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 419,909 shares of the company’s stock worth $44,200,000 after buying an additional 36,295 shares during the period. Hidden Cove Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. during the 4th quarter valued at $230,000. Pinnacle Wealth Management Advisory Group LLC raised its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 12.9% during the 4th quarter. Pinnacle Wealth Management Advisory Group LLC now owns 56,488 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,946,000 after buying an additional 6,438 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Headinvest LLC boosted its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 23.7% during the 4th quarter. Headinvest LLC now owns 15,998 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,684,000 after buying an additional 3,062 shares during the period. 76.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.