Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK Shares Sold by Stenger Family Office LLC

Stenger Family Office LLC decreased its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 89.7% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 5,026 shares of the company’s stock after selling 43,652 shares during the period. Stenger Family Office LLC’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $442,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Brighton Jones LLC raised 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 worth $3,808,000 after acquiring an additional 8,710 shares in the last quarter. Financiere des Professionnels Fonds d investissement inc. grew its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 2,176.8% in the 2nd quarter. Financiere des Professionnels Fonds d investissement inc. now owns 27,321 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,163,000 after purchasing an additional 26,121 shares during the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC raised its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 52.2% in the 2nd quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 11,494 shares of the company’s stock worth $910,000 after purchasing an additional 3,941 shares in the last quarter. Sovran Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 18.9% during the second quarter. Sovran Advisors LLC now owns 4,479 shares of the company’s stock valued at $364,000 after purchasing an additional 712 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Signal Advisors Wealth LLC boosted its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 31.8% during the second quarter. Signal Advisors Wealth LLC now owns 4,407 shares of the company’s stock worth $349,000 after buying an additional 1,064 shares in the last quarter. 76.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP David Michael Williams sold 8,614 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated 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 in the company, valued at approximately $2,054,475.02. This represents a 25.95% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.13% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Merck & Co., Inc. Price Performance

MRK opened at $108.89 on Friday. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $102.10 and a 200 day moving average price of $90.09. The company has a current ratio of 1.66, a quick ratio of 1.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 1 year low of $73.31 and a 1 year high of $112.90. The stock has a market cap of $270.27 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.38, a PEG ratio of 1.18 and a beta of 0.29.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 3rd. The company reported $1.94 earnings per share 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%. Analysts forecast that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 EPS for the current fiscal 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 dividend payout ratio is currently 44.91%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have issued reports on the company. Zacks Research cut Merck & Co., Inc. from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Friday, January 9th. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Monday, December 29th. UBS Group upped their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $105.00 to $130.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 7th. Wells Fargo & Company raised Merck & Co., Inc. from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $90.00 to $125.00 in a research note on Monday, November 24th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $110.00 to $111.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 18th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have issued a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Merck & Co., Inc. has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $112.87.

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.