Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) Trading 1.2% Higher – Time to Buy?

Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) were up 1.2% during mid-day trading on Friday . The stock traded as high as $106.62 and last traded at $106.4840. Approximately 9,990,158 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 26% from the average daily volume of 13,521,989 shares. The stock had previously closed at $105.26.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have weighed in on MRK shares. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Monday. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $92.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 2nd. BMO Capital Markets raised Merck & Co., Inc. from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from $82.00 to $130.00 in a report on Thursday, December 18th. Scotiabank upped their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $105.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “sector outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, December 4th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, November 8th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $110.13.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Up 1.2%

The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $96.98 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $87.76. The firm has a market cap of $264.30 billion, a PE ratio of 14.07, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.00 and a beta of 0.29. 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. (NYSE:MRK) last released its quarterly earnings data 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%. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Increases Dividend

The company 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 of this dividend is Monday, December 15th. This is an increase 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 payout ratio is currently 44.91%.

Insider Transactions at Merck & Co., Inc.

In related news, EVP David Michael Williams sold 8,614 shares of the business’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 transaction, 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 ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Merck & Co., Inc.

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. First Financial Bank Trust Division increased its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.5% in the fourth quarter. First Financial Bank Trust Division now owns 28,306 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,979,000 after purchasing an additional 141 shares during the last quarter. Insight Wealth Strategies LLC grew its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 5.0% in the 4th quarter. Insight Wealth Strategies LLC now owns 60,103 shares of the company’s stock worth $6,326,000 after buying an additional 2,884 shares in the last quarter. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates increased its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 40.6% in the 4th quarter. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates now owns 786 shares of the company’s stock worth $83,000 after buying an additional 227 shares during the last quarter. Advisors Management Group Inc. ADV raised its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 3.2% during the 3rd quarter. Advisors Management Group Inc. ADV now owns 69,107 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,800,000 after buying an additional 2,167 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Keel Point LLC raised its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.8% during the 3rd quarter. Keel Point LLC now owns 60,823 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,105,000 after buying an additional 1,652 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors 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.