Rockland Trust Co. Increases Stake in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK)

Rockland Trust Co. raised its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 7.9% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 417,011 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 30,562 shares during the period. Merck & Co., Inc. comprises 2.1% of Rockland Trust Co.’s portfolio, making the stock its 11th largest holding. Rockland Trust Co.’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $41,484,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Wulff Hansen & CO. raised its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 11,860.9% during the 2nd quarter. Wulff Hansen & CO. now owns 2,494,199 shares of the company’s stock worth $308,782,000 after acquiring an additional 2,473,346 shares in the last quarter. Luts & Greenleigh Group Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the second quarter valued at about $555,000. Excalibur Management Corp boosted its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.8% in the 2nd quarter. Excalibur Management Corp now owns 48,574 shares of the company’s stock worth $6,013,000 after purchasing an additional 387 shares in the last quarter. Moors & Cabot Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.8% during the second quarter. Moors & Cabot Inc. now owns 145,261 shares of the company’s stock worth $17,983,000 after buying an additional 1,083 shares during the period. Finally, Edgestream Partners L.P. acquired a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the 2nd quarter valued at $1,207,000. Institutional investors own 76.07% of the company’s stock.

Merck & Co., Inc. Price Performance

Merck & Co., Inc. stock opened at $99.70 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 1.36, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.79. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $100.13 and a 200 day moving average price of $110.19. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 12-month low of $94.48 and a 12-month high of $134.63. The stock has a market cap of $252.20 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.90, a PEG ratio of 1.47 and a beta of 0.39.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 31st. The company reported $1.57 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.50 by $0.07. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 36.42% and a net margin of 19.23%. The company had revenue of $16.66 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $16.47 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $2.13 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 7.73 earnings per share for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 8th. Investors of record on Monday, December 16th were issued a $0.81 dividend. This is a positive change from Merck & Co., Inc.’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.77. This represents a $3.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.25%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 16th. Merck & Co., Inc.’s payout ratio is 67.92%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have commented on MRK shares. Guggenheim lowered their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $137.00 to $130.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, November 6th. Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $155.00 price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Thursday, October 3rd. Citigroup decreased their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $140.00 to $130.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Bank of America reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $121.00 price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. Finally, HSBC upgraded Merck & Co., Inc. from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $130.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, December 4th. One equities research 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 stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $123.67.

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.