Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ Reduces Holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK)

Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ lessened its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 18.9% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 1,861,504 shares of the company’s stock after selling 433,865 shares during the quarter. Merck & Co., Inc. comprises approximately 0.8% of Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ’s portfolio, making the stock its 20th biggest position. Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $183,116,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Tredje AP fonden lifted its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 10.7% during the 4th quarter. Tredje AP fonden now owns 803,829 shares of the company’s stock worth $79,965,000 after purchasing an additional 77,537 shares during the period. ANTIPODES PARTNERS Ltd boosted its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 17.3% in the fourth quarter. ANTIPODES PARTNERS Ltd now owns 1,848,631 shares of the company’s stock worth $183,917,000 after purchasing an additional 272,815 shares during the period. Mascoma Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 43.4% in the 4th quarter. Mascoma Wealth Management LLC now owns 787 shares of the company’s stock worth $78,000 after purchasing an additional 238 shares during the last quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. increased its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 272.7% in the fourth quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 3,440 shares of the company’s stock valued at $342,000 after purchasing an additional 2,517 shares during the period. Finally, Avantax Advisory Services Inc. lifted its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.0% in the fourth quarter. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. now owns 230,718 shares of the company’s stock worth $22,952,000 after purchasing an additional 4,518 shares during the period. 76.07% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Cristal N. Downing sold 2,361 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $88.76, for a total transaction of $209,562.36. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 7,085 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $628,864.60. This trade represents a 24.99 % 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 this hyperlink. Also, Director Inge G. Thulin bought 2,833 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 6th. The shares were bought at an average price of $88.25 per share, with a total value of $250,012.25. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 2,933 shares in the company, valued at approximately $258,837.25. This trade represents a 2,833.00 % increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 0.09% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE MRK opened at $93.44 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $236.04 billion, a PE ratio of 13.88, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.77 and a beta of 0.35. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 52 week low of $81.04 and a 52 week high of $134.63. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $93.75 and a 200 day moving average price of $102.19. 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 earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The company reported $1.72 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.85 by ($0.13). Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 26.67% and a return on equity of 45.35%. The firm had revenue of $15.62 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $15.51 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.03 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts predict that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. announced that its board has authorized a stock repurchase plan on Tuesday, January 28th that allows the company to repurchase $10.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the company to purchase up to 4.1% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are typically a sign that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 7th. Investors of record on Monday, March 17th will be issued a dividend of $0.81 per share. This represents a $3.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.47%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 17th. Merck & Co., Inc.’s payout ratio is 48.14%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on MRK. Bank of America reduced their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $118.00 to $112.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. UBS Group cut their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $125.00 to $120.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. 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 research note on Wednesday, December 4th. Truist Financial reaffirmed a “hold” rating and set a $110.00 price objective (down from $130.00) on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. Finally, Guggenheim dropped their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $122.00 to $115.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and three have issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Merck & Co., Inc. currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $117.12.

Merck & Co., Inc. Company 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.