Stonebridge Financial Group LLC Has $638,000 Position in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Stonebridge Financial Group LLC cut its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 76.8% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 7,598 shares of the company’s stock after selling 25,113 shares during the period. Stonebridge Financial Group LLC’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $638,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of MRK. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 29.5% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 38,278 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,808,000 after buying an additional 8,710 shares in the last quarter. Focus Partners Advisor Solutions LLC raised its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 28.1% in the first quarter. Focus Partners Advisor Solutions LLC now owns 57,510 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,162,000 after acquiring an additional 12,616 shares during the last quarter. Chiron Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 78.2% in the first quarter. Chiron Capital Management LLC now owns 18,239 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,637,000 after acquiring an additional 8,005 shares during the last quarter. Rench Wealth Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 1.5% in the 1st quarter. Rench Wealth Management Inc. now owns 43,847 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,936,000 after acquiring an additional 640 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. grew its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 35.5% during the 1st quarter. Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. now owns 2,026,500 shares of the company’s stock worth $181,899,000 after acquiring an additional 530,939 shares during the last quarter. 76.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Merck & Co., Inc.

In related news, EVP David Michael Williams sold 8,614 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of 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 Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders own 0.09% of the company’s stock.

Merck & Co., Inc. Trading Down 0.5%

Shares of MRK opened at $106.07 on Wednesday. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $96.27 and its 200-day simple moving average is $87.52. The firm has a market capitalization of $263.27 billion, a PE ratio of 14.01, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 0.29. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 12-month low of $73.31 and a 12-month high of $107.59. The company has a quick ratio of 1.44, a current ratio of 1.66 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, January 30th. The company reported $1.94 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 29.63% and a return on equity of 44.54%. As a group, research analysts predict that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 earnings per share for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 8th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 15th will be issued a $0.85 dividend. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.2%. This is a boost from Merck & Co., Inc.’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.81. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 15th. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 44.91%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on MRK shares. Bank of America raised their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $105.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, December 15th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Merck & Co., Inc. from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Saturday, November 8th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $100.00 to $102.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, December 12th. Berenberg Bank downgraded shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and reduced their price target for the stock from $100.00 to $90.00 in a research report on Wednesday, September 17th. Finally, Scotiabank raised their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $105.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “sector outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 4th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Merck & Co., Inc. presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $110.13.

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.