Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) Declares Quarterly Dividend of $0.85

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) declared a quarterly dividend on Tuesday, January 27th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 16th will be given a dividend of 0.85 per share on Tuesday, April 7th. This represents a c) dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 16th.

Merck & Co., Inc. has raised its dividend by an average of 0.1%per year over the last three years and has increased its dividend every year for the last 14 years. Merck & Co., Inc. has a dividend payout ratio of 35.0% indicating that its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Equities analysts expect Merck & Co., Inc. to earn $9.90 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $3.40 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 34.3%.

Merck & Co., Inc. Price Performance

NYSE:MRK traded down $1.23 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $106.69. 2,821,777 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 11,945,214. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $104.45 and its 200 day moving average price is $91.46. 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 has a market cap of $264.80 billion, a PE ratio of 14.09, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.35 and a beta of 0.29. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 12-month low of $73.31 and a 12-month high of $112.90.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, February 3rd. The company reported $1.94 earnings per share (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%. On average, analysts expect that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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.