Gladstone Institutional Advisory LLC Trims Holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK)

Gladstone Institutional Advisory LLC reduced its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 2.5% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 78,798 shares of the company’s stock after selling 2,053 shares during the period. Gladstone Institutional Advisory LLC’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $7,839,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of MRK. Certuity LLC increased its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 30.7% during the fourth quarter. Certuity LLC now owns 19,481 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,938,000 after acquiring an additional 4,578 shares in the last quarter. Community Financial Services Group LLC boosted its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.9% in the 4th quarter. Community Financial Services Group LLC now owns 62,391 shares of the company’s stock worth $6,207,000 after purchasing an additional 566 shares in the last quarter. Sage Private Wealth Group LLC grew its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.5% during the 4th quarter. Sage Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 5,906 shares of the company’s stock valued at $588,000 after purchasing an additional 143 shares during the last quarter. Warther Private Wealth LLC increased its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 735.6% during the 4th quarter. Warther Private Wealth LLC now owns 25,729 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,560,000 after purchasing an additional 22,650 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Portfolio Design Labs LLC increased its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 31.1% during the 4th quarter. Portfolio Design Labs LLC now owns 44,517 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,429,000 after purchasing an additional 10,573 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 76.07% of the company’s stock.

Merck & Co., Inc. Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:MRK opened at $86.52 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $218.86 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.86, a P/E/G ratio of 0.83 and a beta of 0.38. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $98.44 and a 200 day moving average price of $106.06. Merck & Co., Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $85.73 and a fifty-two week high of $134.63. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.79, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a current ratio of 1.36.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 4th. The company reported $1.72 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.85 by ($0.13). The firm had revenue of $15.62 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $15.51 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 26.67% and a return on equity of 45.35%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.03 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. declared that its board has authorized a share buyback plan on Tuesday, January 28th that permits the company to buyback $10.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the company to buy up to 4.1% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are usually a sign that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 7th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 17th will be issued a dividend of $0.81 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 17th. This represents a $3.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.74%. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 48.14%.

Insider Transactions at Merck & Co., Inc.

In related news, insider Cristal N. Downing sold 2,361 shares of Merck & Co., Inc. stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $88.76, for a total value of $209,562.36. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 7,085 shares in the company, valued at approximately $628,864.60. This trade represents a 24.99 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Inge G. Thulin acquired 2,833 shares of Merck & Co., Inc. stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 6th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $88.25 per share, for a total transaction of $250,012.25. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now directly owns 2,933 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $258,837.25. The trade was a 2,833.00 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders own 0.09% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MRK has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Leerink Partners cut their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $136.00 to $119.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, January 13th. Wolfe Research assumed coverage on Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Friday, November 15th. They set a “peer perform” rating on the stock. Citigroup reduced their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $125.00 to $115.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. TD Cowen downgraded Merck & Co., Inc. from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and lowered their price target for the company from $121.00 to $100.00 in a report on Monday. Finally, HSBC raised Merck & Co., Inc. from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $130.00 price objective on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, December 4th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and three have given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $117.94.

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.