Lazard Freres Gestion S.A.S. Invests $98.35 Million in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Lazard Freres Gestion S.A.S. bought a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm bought 1,171,812 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $98,350,000. Merck & Co., Inc. accounts for approximately 1.9% of Lazard Freres Gestion S.A.S.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 16th biggest position.

A number of other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MRK. Legend Financial Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the second quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Darwin Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 237.4% during the third quarter. Darwin Wealth Management LLC now owns 307 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 216 shares in the last quarter. Kilter Group LLC bought a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. in the 2nd quarter valued at $27,000. Bare Financial Services Inc increased its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 51.9% in the 2nd quarter. Bare Financial Services Inc now owns 366 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 125 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Evolution Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. in the 2nd quarter worth $31,000. 76.07% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP David Michael Williams sold 8,614 shares of the business’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 transaction, the executive vice president 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 legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on MRK. Citigroup initiated coverage on Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Monday, October 13th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $95.00 price objective for the company. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded Merck & Co., Inc. from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and raised their price target for the company from $90.00 to $125.00 in a report on Monday, November 24th. Bank of America lifted their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $105.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, December 15th. Scotiabank increased their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $105.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “sector outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 4th. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $100.00 to $102.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, December 12th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $110.13.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Performance

NYSE:MRK opened at $105.20 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $261.11 billion, a PE ratio of 13.90, a PEG ratio of 1.00 and a beta of 0.29. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $96.98 and its 200 day moving average is $87.76. Merck & Co., Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $73.31 and a fifty-two week high of $107.59. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 1.44 and a current ratio of 1.66.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 30th. The company reported $1.94 EPS for the quarter. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 29.63% and a return on equity of 44.54%. On average, 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 declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 8th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 15th will be issued a $0.85 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 15th. This is a positive change from Merck & Co., Inc.’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.81. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.2%. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 44.91%.

Merck & Co., Inc. 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.