64,298 Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK Shares Sold by Diversified Trust Co

Diversified Trust Co lessened its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 33.1% in the third quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 129,722 shares of the company’s stock after selling 64,298 shares during the quarter. Diversified Trust Co’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $18,850,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vista Capital Partners Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the 3rd quarter worth about $543,000. Cornerstone Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the 3rd quarter valued at about $8,798,000. Moors & Cabot Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 1.9% in the 3rd quarter. Moors & Cabot Inc. now owns 96,460 shares of the company’s stock valued at $14,017,000 after purchasing an additional 1,795 shares in the last quarter. Money Concepts Capital Corp lifted its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.9% in the 3rd quarter. Money Concepts Capital Corp now owns 32,863 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,775,000 after purchasing an additional 288 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Allworth Financial LP grew its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 37.0% during the 3rd quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 285,781 shares of the company’s stock worth $41,527,000 after purchasing an additional 77,235 shares during the period. 76.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Merck & Co., Inc. News

These are some of the MRK news items that stood out recently:

• Positive Sentiment: The EMA’s CHMP recommended expanding ENFLONSIA’s use to help prevent severe RSV lower respiratory tract disease in vulnerable children up to 24 months old, including through their second RSV season. The broader eligible population could support the medicine’s commercial opportunity in Europe. Merck ENFLONSIA CHMP recommendation
• Positive Sentiment: The CHMP also recommended WELIREG plus lenvatinib for adults with advanced clear-cell renal cell carcinoma after anti-PD-1/PD-L1 treatment. This would extend WELIREG into another treatment setting and expand Merck’s oncology portfolio in Europe. Merck WELIREG CHMP recommendation
• Neutral Sentiment: Both decisions are CHMP recommendations; European Commission approval is still needed. Any financial contribution will also depend on launch timing, uptake and competition.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts recently issued reports on MRK shares. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 25th. BMO Capital Markets raised their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $142.00 to $170.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, August 20th. Cantor Fitzgerald lifted their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $145.00 to $155.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, November 2nd. Barclays boosted their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $150.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, October 26th. Finally, Freedom Broker boosted their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $125.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, November 2nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have assigned a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Merck & Co., Inc. presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $155.74.

Merck & Co., Inc. Trading Up 0.5%

NYSE:MRK opened at $147.74 on Friday. The business’s 50-day moving average is $146.16 and its two-hundred day moving average is $128.61. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.11, a current ratio of 1.35 and a quick ratio of 1.14. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 12 month low of $91.49 and a 12 month high of $156.92. The firm has a market capitalization of $364.21 billion, a PE ratio of 152.31, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.74 and a beta of 0.13.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 29th. The company reported $2.49 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.09 by $0.40. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 16.73% and a net margin of 3.64%. The company had revenue of $18.09 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $17.33 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $2.58 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 4.7% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts predict that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 2.82 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

About Merck & Co., Inc.

Merck & Co., Inc. is a global pharmaceutical company that develops and markets prescription medicines, vaccines, biologic therapies and animal-health products. The company’s research and commercial activities span areas including oncology, infectious diseases, vaccines, cardiovascular disease and immunology. Its products include the cancer medicine Keytruda and the Gardasil vaccine. Founded in the United States in 1891, Merck & Co. became an independent company in 1917. It is headquartered in Rahway, New Jersey, and operates internationally.