InTrack Investment Management Inc Buys 1,811 Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK)

InTrack Investment Management Inc grew its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 47.2% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 5,646 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 1,811 shares during the period. InTrack Investment Management Inc’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $563,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Edgestream Partners L.P. acquired a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. in the 2nd quarter valued at $1,207,000. WCG Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 14.0% during the second quarter. WCG Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 15,245 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,887,000 after acquiring an additional 1,870 shares during the period. Cowa LLC grew its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 25.7% in the second quarter. Cowa LLC now owns 1,957 shares of the company’s stock valued at $244,000 after purchasing an additional 400 shares during the last quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 6.5% in the second quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 294,806 shares of the company’s stock worth $36,497,000 after purchasing an additional 18,040 shares during the period. Finally, Brighton Jones LLC lifted its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 1.1% during the 2nd quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 31,742 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,930,000 after purchasing an additional 346 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 76.07% of the company’s stock.

Merck & Co., Inc. Price Performance

NYSE:MRK opened at $98.00 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $247.91 billion, a PE ratio of 20.55, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.17 and a beta of 0.39. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $100.11 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $110.06. The company has a quick ratio of 1.15, a current ratio of 1.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.79. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 12 month low of $94.48 and a 12 month high of $134.63.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The company reported $1.57 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.50 by $0.07. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 36.42% and a net margin of 19.23%. The business had revenue of $16.66 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $16.47 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $2.13 EPS. Merck & Co., Inc.’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 7.7 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 8th. Investors of record on Monday, December 16th were issued a $0.81 dividend. This represents a $3.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.31%. This is a boost from Merck & Co., Inc.’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.77. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 16th. Merck & Co., Inc.’s payout ratio is currently 67.92%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have commented on MRK shares. Guggenheim dropped their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $137.00 to $130.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, November 6th. BMO Capital Markets lowered shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating and dropped their target price for the stock from $136.00 to $105.00 in a research report on Friday, December 20th. Citigroup reduced their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $140.00 to $130.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, October 25th. Daiwa Capital Markets lowered shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, November 11th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein initiated coverage on Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. They set a “market perform” rating and a $115.00 price target on the stock. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and four have given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Merck & Co., Inc. presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $123.67.

About Merck & Co., Inc.

Merck & Co, Inc is a health care company, which engages in the provision of health solutions through its prescription medicines, vaccines, biologic therapies, animal health, and consumer care products. It operates through the following segments: Pharmaceutical, Animal Health, and Other. The Pharmaceutical segment includes human health pharmaceutical and vaccine products.