Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) Shares Purchased by Baldwin Wealth Partners LLC MA

Baldwin Wealth Partners LLC MA grew its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 4.0% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 196,756 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 7,636 shares during the period. Merck & Co., Inc. comprises about 1.4% of Baldwin Wealth Partners LLC MA’s portfolio, making the stock its 21st largest holding. Baldwin Wealth Partners LLC MA’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $19,573,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of MRK. Algert Global LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the second quarter valued at approximately $325,000. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. raised its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 3.0% during the 2nd quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 312,252 shares of the company’s stock valued at $38,657,000 after purchasing an additional 9,174 shares during the period. Granite FO LLC acquired a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. during the 2nd quarter valued at $292,000. Sunbelt Securities Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.3% in the second quarter. Sunbelt Securities Inc. now owns 53,665 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,644,000 after purchasing an additional 170 shares in the last quarter. Finally, William B. Walkup & Associates Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the second quarter worth $3,330,000. 76.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Performance

MRK opened at $97.99 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.79, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a current ratio of 1.36. The company has a market cap of $247.87 billion, a PE ratio of 20.54, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.13 and a beta of 0.39. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $99.80 and a 200-day moving average of $108.56. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 52-week low of $94.48 and a 52-week high of $134.63.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The company reported $1.57 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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 firm had revenue of $16.66 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $16.47 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $2.13 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 4.4% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 7.67 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 8th. Investors of record on Monday, December 16th were issued a $0.81 dividend. This represents a $3.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.31%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 16th. This is an increase from Merck & Co., Inc.’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.77. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 67.92%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MRK has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Barclays dropped their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $142.00 to $140.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, October 7th. Bank of America reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $121.00 target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. Wolfe Research initiated coverage on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Friday, November 15th. They set a “peer perform” rating for the company. Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $155.00 price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Thursday, October 3rd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $125.00 to $110.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, November 1st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and four have assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Merck & Co., Inc. currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $123.00.

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.