Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) Stock Position Raised by Synergy Asset Management LLC

Synergy Asset Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 28.2% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 196,461 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 43,245 shares during the period. Merck & Co., Inc. accounts for 1.7% of Synergy Asset Management LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 14th biggest holding. Synergy Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $21,688,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MRK. Darwin Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. in the 3rd quarter worth about $32,000. AM Squared Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Safe Harbor Fiduciary LLC acquired a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. in the third quarter worth approximately $34,000. Peterson Financial Group Inc. bought a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. during the third quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Finally, Quarry LP acquired a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. in the second quarter valued at approximately $42,000. 76.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have recently commented on MRK. UBS Group dropped their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $125.00 to $120.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. Sanford C. Bernstein initiated coverage on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. They set a “market perform” rating and a $115.00 target price on the stock. Wolfe Research assumed coverage on Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Friday, November 15th. They issued a “peer perform” rating for the company. Citigroup lowered their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $130.00 to $125.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday. Finally, HSBC upgraded Merck & Co., Inc. from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $130.00 target price for the company in a report on Wednesday, December 4th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and four have issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $122.67.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Up 0.8 %

MRK stock opened at $98.23 on Thursday. Merck & Co., Inc. has a twelve month low of $94.48 and a twelve month high of $134.63. The company has a quick ratio of 1.15, a current ratio of 1.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.79. The company has a market cap of $248.47 billion, a PE ratio of 20.59, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.13 and a beta of 0.39. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $99.85 and its 200 day simple moving average is $108.13.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 31st. The company reported $1.57 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.50 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $16.66 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $16.47 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 36.42% and a net margin of 19.23%. Merck & Co., Inc.’s quarterly revenue was up 4.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $2.13 earnings per share. On average, research analysts anticipate that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 7.67 earnings per share for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 7th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 17th will be paid a $0.81 dividend. This represents a $3.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.30%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 17th. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio is 67.92%.

Merck & Co., Inc. declared that its board has initiated a stock buyback program on Tuesday, January 28th that allows the company to repurchase $10.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the company to buy up to 4.1% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are typically a sign that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Merck & Co., Inc. Profile

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.