PGGM Investments Sells 19,672 Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK)

PGGM Investments decreased its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 20.7% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 75,380 shares of the company’s stock after selling 19,672 shares during the quarter. PGGM Investments’ holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $7,499,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MRK. Balboa Wealth Partners increased its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 5.4% in the fourth quarter. Balboa Wealth Partners now owns 5,180 shares of the company’s stock valued at $515,000 after acquiring an additional 265 shares during the last quarter. Lazard Freres Gestion S.A.S. raised its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 7.7% during the 4th quarter. Lazard Freres Gestion S.A.S. now owns 1,582,302 shares of the company’s stock worth $157,407,000 after purchasing an additional 112,828 shares in the last quarter. Tredje AP fonden grew its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 10.7% in the fourth quarter. Tredje AP fonden now owns 803,829 shares of the company’s stock valued at $79,965,000 after buying an additional 77,537 shares in the last quarter. ANTIPODES PARTNERS Ltd grew its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 17.3% in the fourth quarter. ANTIPODES PARTNERS Ltd now owns 1,848,631 shares of the company’s stock valued at $183,917,000 after buying an additional 272,815 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Mascoma Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 43.4% during the fourth quarter. Mascoma Wealth Management LLC now owns 787 shares of the company’s stock worth $78,000 after buying an additional 238 shares during the last quarter. 76.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Up 1.4 %

Shares of MRK opened at $94.64 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.36, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.79. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 12 month low of $81.04 and a 12 month high of $134.63. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $93.66 and its 200-day moving average is $102.14. The stock has a market capitalization of $239.07 billion, a PE ratio of 14.06, a P/E/G ratio of 0.77 and a beta of 0.35.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 4th. The company reported $1.72 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.85 by ($0.13). The company had revenue of $15.62 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $15.51 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 45.35% and a net margin of 26.67%. Merck & Co., Inc.’s revenue was up 6.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $0.03 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 EPS for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock repurchase program on Tuesday, January 28th that allows the company to buyback $10.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization allows the company to purchase up to 4.1% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are often an indication that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 7th. Investors of record on Monday, March 17th will be paid a $0.81 dividend. This represents a $3.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.42%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 17th. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 48.14%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Merck & Co., Inc. news, insider Cristal N. Downing sold 2,361 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $88.76, for a total transaction of $209,562.36. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 7,085 shares in the company, valued at $628,864.60. The trade was a 24.99 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, Director Inge G. Thulin bought 2,833 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 6th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $88.25 per share, with a total value of $250,012.25. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now directly owns 2,933 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $258,837.25. The trade was a 2,833.00 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 0.09% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Hsbc Global Res raised shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 4th. Guggenheim lowered their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $122.00 to $115.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Bank of America cut their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $118.00 to $112.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, February 5th. 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, Wolfe Research began coverage on Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Friday, November 15th. They issued a “peer perform” rating on the stock. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and three have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $117.12.

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.