Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) Trading Down 1.9% – Time to Sell?

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) dropped 1.9% on Friday . The company traded as low as $108.43 and last traded at $108.89. Approximately 14,735,534 shares traded hands during trading, an increase of 11% from the average daily volume of 13,311,229 shares. The stock had previously closed at $110.97.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have commented on the company. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Morgan Stanley increased their target price 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. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $92.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 2nd. Citigroup increased their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $95.00 to $110.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 7th. Finally, Bank of America upped their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $105.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, December 15th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have issued a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Merck & Co., Inc. presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $112.87.

Merck & Co., Inc. Price Performance

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 stock’s fifty day moving average is $101.65 and its 200-day moving average is $89.82. The stock has a market cap of $270.27 billion, a PE ratio of 14.38, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.20 and a beta of 0.29.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, February 3rd. The company reported $1.94 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.08 by ($0.14). Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 44.54% and a net margin of 29.63%. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 EPS for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 8th. Investors of record on Monday, December 15th were issued a $0.85 dividend. This is a boost from Merck & Co., Inc.’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.81. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.1%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 15th. Merck & Co., Inc.’s payout ratio is currently 44.91%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Merck & Co., Inc. news, EVP David Michael Williams sold 8,614 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction 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 owned 24,578 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,054,475.02. This trade represents a 25.95% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

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

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of MRK. Lionshead Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 1.7% during the fourth quarter. Lionshead Wealth Management LLC now owns 5,704 shares of the company’s stock worth $600,000 after buying an additional 93 shares during the period. Abound Wealth Management raised its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 6.8% in the 4th quarter. Abound Wealth Management now owns 1,554 shares of the company’s stock valued at $164,000 after acquiring an additional 99 shares during the period. Mattern Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 1.7% in the 4th quarter. Mattern Wealth Management LLC now owns 6,033 shares of the company’s stock worth $635,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. Pine Haven Investment Counsel Inc boosted its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.7% during the 4th quarter. Pine Haven Investment Counsel Inc now owns 14,137 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,488,000 after purchasing an additional 105 shares during the period. Finally, Lake Street Private Wealth LLC increased its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.1% in the 4th quarter. Lake Street Private Wealth LLC now owns 5,203 shares of the company’s stock valued at $548,000 after purchasing an additional 109 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.07% of the company’s stock.

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.