Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. Decreases Holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK)

Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. reduced its position in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 17.1% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 2,657,411 shares of the company’s stock after selling 546,267 shares during the period. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V.’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $264,359,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Algert Global LLC acquired a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $325,000. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. grew its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 3.0% during the second quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 312,252 shares of the company’s stock valued at $38,657,000 after buying an additional 9,174 shares during the last quarter. Invst LLC increased its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 5.4% in the 2nd quarter. Invst LLC now owns 3,382 shares of the company’s stock valued at $433,000 after acquiring an additional 174 shares during the period. Quarry LP purchased a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. in the 2nd quarter worth $42,000. Finally, Regal Investment Advisors LLC lifted its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.9% during the 2nd quarter. Regal Investment Advisors LLC now owns 13,014 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,611,000 after acquiring an additional 113 shares during the period. 76.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Performance

NYSE MRK opened at $97.49 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.79, a current ratio of 1.36 and a quick ratio of 1.15. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 1-year low of $94.48 and a 1-year high of $134.63. The company has a market cap of $246.62 billion, a PE ratio of 20.44, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.13 and a beta of 0.39. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $99.85 and its 200-day simple moving average is $108.13.

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 the consensus estimate of $1.50 by $0.07. The company had revenue of $16.66 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $16.47 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 19.23% and a return on equity of 36.42%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 4.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $2.13 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 7.67 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 7th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 17th will be paid a dividend of $0.81 per share. This represents a $3.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.32%. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 67.92%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on MRK. Barclays reduced their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $142.00 to $140.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, October 7th. Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $123.00 to $113.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 21st. Leerink Partners decreased their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $136.00 to $119.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Monday, January 13th. HSBC raised Merck & Co., Inc. from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $130.00 target price on the stock in a report on Wednesday, December 4th. Finally, UBS Group decreased their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $125.00 to $120.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and four have issued 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 an average price target of $122.67.

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.