Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) Given “Overweight” Rating at Cantor Fitzgerald

Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated their overweight rating on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) in a research report sent to investors on Thursday morning, Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a $155.00 price target on the stock.

Several other equities research analysts have also weighed in on the stock. Evercore ISI upgraded shares of Merck & Co., Inc. to a strong-buy rating in a report on Tuesday, July 30th. Wolfe Research upgraded Merck & Co., Inc. to a strong-buy rating in a report on Wednesday, July 31st. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $140.00 to $125.00 and set an equal weight rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, July 31st. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $132.00 to $134.00 and gave the company an equal weight rating in a research report on Thursday, July 11th. Finally, Barclays dropped their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $145.00 to $142.00 and set an overweight rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, July 31st. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and four have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Merck & Co., Inc. currently has a consensus rating of Buy and a consensus price target of $134.58.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Up 0.8 %

Shares of NYSE:MRK opened at $118.45 on Thursday. 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 cap of $300.01 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 131.61, a P/E/G ratio of 1.64 and a beta of 0.38. The company has a 50 day moving average of $121.20 and a 200-day moving average of $125.41. Merck & Co., Inc. has a one year low of $99.14 and a one year high of $134.63.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 30th. The company reported $2.28 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.16 by $0.12. The firm had revenue of $16.10 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations 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% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned ($2.06) earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 8.01 earnings per share for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

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 paid 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 currently 342.22%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Merck & Co., Inc.

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Norges Bank bought a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $3,108,366,000. Capital International Investors boosted its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 3,714.9% in the 1st quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 6,023,853 shares of the company’s stock valued at $794,847,000 after buying an additional 5,865,948 shares during the last quarter. Capital World Investors grew its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 67.6% in the first quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 13,954,017 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,841,233,000 after buying an additional 5,627,923 shares in the last quarter. Swedbank AB acquired a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. during the first quarter worth $724,776,000. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 14.8% during the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 36,682,866 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,966,029,000 after acquiring an additional 4,731,152 shares in the last quarter. 76.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Merck & Co., Inc.

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.