Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) Price Target Raised to $120.00

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) had its price objective boosted by TD Cowen from $100.00 to $120.00 in a report published on Tuesday morning,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a hold rating on the stock.

Other research analysts have also issued research reports about the company. Zacks Research lowered Merck & Co., Inc. from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Friday, January 9th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $92.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 2nd. Bank of America upped their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $105.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, December 15th. Scotiabank raised their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $105.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “sector outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 4th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets raised shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and upped their price target for the stock from $82.00 to $130.00 in a research note on Thursday, December 18th. 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 company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Merck & Co., Inc. currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $114.20.

Merck & Co., Inc. Trading Down 1.7%

Shares of NYSE:MRK opened at $109.21 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.44, a current ratio of 1.66 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $103.63 and its 200 day moving average price is $90.81. The company has a market cap of $271.06 billion, a PE ratio of 14.43, a P/E/G ratio of 1.35 and a beta of 0.29. Merck & Co., Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $73.31 and a fifty-two week high of $112.90.

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

Merck & Co., Inc. Increases Dividend

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

Insider Activity at Merck & Co., Inc.

In related news, EVP David Michael Williams sold 8,614 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $83.59, for a total value of $720,044.26. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 24,578 shares in the company, valued at $2,054,475.02. The trade was a 25.95% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 0.13% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Richardson Financial Services Inc. boosted its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 42.9% during the fourth quarter. Richardson Financial Services Inc. now owns 1,355 shares of the company’s stock valued at $143,000 after purchasing an additional 407 shares during the last quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 11.2% during the 4th quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 9,558 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,006,000 after buying an additional 960 shares during the last quarter. Apollon Financial LLC grew its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 19.4% in the 4th quarter. Apollon Financial LLC now owns 4,462 shares of the company’s stock valued at $470,000 after buying an additional 724 shares in the last quarter. Premier Path Wealth Partners LLC increased its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 18.3% in the fourth quarter. Premier Path Wealth Partners LLC now owns 13,829 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,456,000 after buying an additional 2,138 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Apollon Wealth Management LLC raised its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.9% during the fourth quarter. Apollon Wealth Management LLC now owns 90,075 shares of the company’s stock valued at $9,481,000 after acquiring an additional 791 shares in 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.