ProShare Advisors LLC Buys 1,029 Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK)

ProShare Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 0.2% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 516,619 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,029 shares during the quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $42,259,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in MRK. Spectrum Wealth Advisory Group LLC bought a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. during the third quarter worth $464,000. Perennial Investment Advisors LLC boosted its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 246.8% in the third quarter. Perennial Investment Advisors LLC now owns 15,518 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,286,000 after purchasing an additional 11,043 shares during the last quarter. Cypress Asset Management Inc. TX boosted its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.6% in the third quarter. Cypress Asset Management Inc. TX now owns 59,274 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,917,000 after purchasing an additional 377 shares during the last quarter. Clear Harbor Asset Management LLC boosted its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 1.5% in the third quarter. Clear Harbor Asset Management LLC now owns 37,965 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,149,000 after purchasing an additional 570 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Steel Peak Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 17.6% in the third quarter. Steel Peak Wealth Management LLC now owns 5,822 shares of the company’s stock worth $483,000 after purchasing an additional 872 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 72.86% of the company’s stock.

Shares of NYSE MRK opened at $74.93 on Tuesday. The stock has a market cap of $189.58 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.58, a P/E/G ratio of 1.89 and a beta of 0.43. The company has a current ratio of 1.30, a quick ratio of 1.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.90. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 1-year low of $65.25 and a 1-year high of $87.80. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $79.00 and its 200 day moving average is $80.98.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 3rd. The company reported $1.32 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the Zacks’ consensus estimate of $1.38 by ($0.06). The firm had revenue of $12.51 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $12.65 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 24.33% and a return on equity of 53.83%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 5.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.16 earnings per share. On average, analysts forecast that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 5.9 EPS for the current fiscal year.

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 7th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 15th will be paid a $0.65 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 12th. This represents a $2.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.47%. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 50.10%.

Several research analysts have weighed in on the company. Cantor Fitzgerald reissued an “overweight” rating on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Friday, February 5th. Mizuho reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $100.00 price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Sunday, December 6th. SVB Leerink upped their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $100.00 to $103.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 29th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $95.00 price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Tuesday, November 10th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Merck & Co., Inc. currently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $95.36.

About Merck & Co., Inc.

Merck & Co, Inc provides healthcare solutions worldwide. The company offers therapeutic for cardiovascular, type 2 diabetes, chronic hepatitis C virus, HIV-1 infection, intra-abdominal, fungal infection, insomnia, and inflammatory diseases; neuromuscular blocking agents; cholesterol modifying medicines; and anti-bacterial and vaginal contraceptive products.

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