Perigon Wealth Management LLC Grows Holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Perigon Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 22.9% in the third quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 75,489 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 14,081 shares during the quarter. Perigon Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $6,336,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Legend Financial Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. during the second quarter worth approximately $25,000. Darwin Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 237.4% during the 3rd quarter. Darwin Wealth Management LLC now owns 307 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 216 shares during the period. Kilter Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the second quarter worth $27,000. Bare Financial Services Inc boosted its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 51.9% during the second quarter. Bare Financial Services Inc now owns 366 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 125 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Evolution Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the second quarter valued at $31,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.07% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on MRK shares. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $100.00 to $102.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, December 12th. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $92.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 2nd. Berenberg Bank lowered shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and cut their price objective for the stock from $100.00 to $90.00 in a report on Wednesday, September 17th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Monday, December 22nd. Finally, Bank of America boosted their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $105.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, December 15th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $110.13.

Insider Buying and Selling at Merck & Co., Inc.

In related news, EVP David Michael Williams sold 8,614 shares of Merck & Co., Inc. stock in a transaction on Monday, November 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $83.59, for a total transaction of $720,044.26. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 24,578 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,054,475.02. The trade was a 25.95% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders own 0.09% of the company’s stock.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Performance

NYSE MRK opened at $106.90 on Monday. The firm has a market capitalization of $265.33 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.12, a P/E/G ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 0.29. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 1-year low of $73.31 and a 1-year high of $107.05. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77, a current ratio of 1.66 and a quick ratio of 1.44. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $95.49 and its 200-day simple moving average is $87.17.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last posted its earnings results on Friday, January 30th. The company reported $1.94 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 29.63% and a return on equity of 44.54%. Equities analysts predict that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 EPS for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 8th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 15th will be paid a $0.85 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 15th. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.2%. This is a boost from Merck & Co., Inc.’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.81. Merck & Co., Inc.’s payout ratio is 44.91%.

Merck & Co., Inc. Profile

Merck & Co, Inc is a global biopharmaceutical company engaged in the discovery, development, manufacture and marketing of prescription medicines, vaccines, biologic therapies and animal health products. Its portfolio spans multiple therapeutic areas with a particular emphasis on oncology, vaccines and infectious disease, as well as therapies for metabolic and chronic conditions. Among its well-known products are the cancer immunotherapy Keytruda (pembrolizumab) and the human papillomavirus vaccine Gardasil; the company also markets a range of medicines and vaccines for veterinary use through Merck Animal Health.

Founded in the late 19th century as the U.S.