Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators Has $2.08 Million Stake in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK)

Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators lowered its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 6.0% during the 2nd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 16,835 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,073 shares during the quarter. Merck & Co., Inc. makes up 1.0% of Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators’ portfolio, making the stock its 10th biggest holding. Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators’ holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $2,084,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Burkett Financial Services LLC purchased a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. during the fourth quarter valued at $28,000. Tidemark LLC purchased a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. during the fourth quarter valued at $31,000. Clear Investment Research LLC bought a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the 4th quarter valued at $39,000. Finally, Roble Belko & Company Inc grew its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 35.3% in the 1st quarter. Roble Belko & Company Inc now owns 326 shares of the company’s stock worth $43,000 after buying an additional 85 shares during the period. 76.07% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Performance

Merck & Co., Inc. stock traded up $2.59 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $118.39. 1,057,349 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 8,558,316. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 12-month low of $99.14 and a 12-month high of $134.63. The business’s 50-day moving average is $120.27 and its 200-day moving average is $125.20. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80, a current ratio of 1.47 and a quick ratio of 1.22. The stock has a market capitalization of $299.86 billion, a PE ratio of 128.67, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.64 and a beta of 0.38.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 30th. The company reported $2.28 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.16 by $0.12. The firm had revenue of $16.10 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $15.87 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 21.99% and a return on equity of 40.69%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned ($2.06) EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 8.01 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, October 7th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 16th will be given a $0.77 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 16th. This represents a $3.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.60%. Merck & Co., Inc.’s payout ratio is presently 342.22%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have recently issued reports on MRK. Barclays lowered their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $145.00 to $142.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, July 31st. Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $155.00 target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Thursday, August 29th. Bank of America reduced their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $150.00 to $145.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, July 31st. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $140.00 to $125.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, July 31st. Finally, Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $132.00 to $134.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, July 11th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and four have given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $134.58.

Merck & Co., Inc. Company Profile

Merck & Co, Inc operates as a healthcare company worldwide. It operates through two segments, Pharmaceutical and Animal Health. The Pharmaceutical segment offers human health pharmaceutical products in the areas of oncology, hospital acute care, immunology, neuroscience, virology, cardiovascular, and diabetes under the Keytruda, Bridion, Adempas, Lagevrio, Belsomra, Simponi, and Januvia brands, as well as vaccine products consisting of preventive pediatric, adolescent, and adult vaccines under the Gardasil/Gardasil 9, ProQuad, M-M-R II, Varivax, RotaTeq, Live Oral, Vaxneuvance, Pneumovax 23, and Vaqta names.