Strs Ohio Boosts Stock Position in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Strs Ohio lifted its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 11.3% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 1,176,972 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 119,095 shares during the quarter. Strs Ohio’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $98,783,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 29.5% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 38,278 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,808,000 after acquiring an additional 8,710 shares during the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC grew its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 52.2% during the 2nd quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 11,494 shares of the company’s stock worth $910,000 after buying an additional 3,941 shares in the last quarter. Financial Management Professionals Inc. raised its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 8.9% in the second quarter. Financial Management Professionals Inc. now owns 3,744 shares of the company’s stock worth $299,000 after buying an additional 307 shares in the last quarter. Evanson Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 4.5% during the second quarter. Evanson Asset Management LLC now owns 3,657 shares of the company’s stock worth $289,000 after buying an additional 158 shares during the period. Finally, Signet Financial Management LLC boosted its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 54.0% during the 2nd quarter. Signet Financial Management LLC now owns 3,771 shares of the company’s stock valued at $298,000 after acquiring an additional 1,323 shares in the last quarter. 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 that occurred 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 sale, the executive vice president directly owned 24,578 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,054,475.02. The trade was a 25.95% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.13% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Merck & Co., Inc. Price Performance

NYSE:MRK opened at $109.21 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.44, a current ratio of 1.66 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 52 week low of $73.31 and a 52 week high of $112.90. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $103.63 and its 200-day moving average price is $90.81. The stock has a market capitalization of $271.06 billion, a PE ratio of 14.43, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.35 and a beta of 0.29.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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 net margin of 29.63% and a return on equity of 44.54%. As a group, equities 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 disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 8th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 15th were paid a dividend of $0.85 per share. This is an increase 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 yield of 3.1%. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 44.91%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on the stock. UBS Group increased their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $105.00 to $130.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 7th. BMO Capital Markets raised shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and raised their price target for the stock from $82.00 to $130.00 in a report on Thursday, December 18th. Wells Fargo & Company raised shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and raised their price target for the stock from $90.00 to $125.00 in a research report on Monday, November 24th. Citigroup raised their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $95.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 7th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $92.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 2nd. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Merck & Co., Inc. currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $114.20.

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.