Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK Shares Acquired by First Pacific Financial

First Pacific Financial raised its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 14.7% in the third quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 47,555 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 6,082 shares during the quarter. First Pacific Financial’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $3,991,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of MRK. Legend Financial Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the second quarter valued at $25,000. Darwin Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in 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 buying an additional 216 shares during the period. Kilter Group LLC acquired a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. during the 2nd quarter worth about $27,000. Bare Financial Services Inc lifted its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 51.9% during the second quarter. Bare Financial Services Inc now owns 366 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 125 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Evolution Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. during the second quarter valued at about $31,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.07% of the company’s stock.

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

In other news, EVP David Michael Williams sold 8,614 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $83.59, for a total transaction of $720,044.26. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 24,578 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,054,475.02. This represents a 25.95% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.13% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Merck & Co., Inc. Price Performance

MRK opened at $105.20 on Friday. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $96.98 and a 200 day moving average price of $87.76. The company has a current ratio of 1.66, a quick ratio of 1.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 1 year low of $73.31 and a 1 year high of $107.59. The stock has a market cap of $261.11 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.90, a PEG ratio of 1.00 and a beta of 0.29.

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

Merck & Co., Inc. Increases Dividend

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Bank of America lifted their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $105.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, December 15th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $92.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 2nd. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Monday. Citigroup started coverage on Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Monday, October 13th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $95.00 target price for the company. Finally, Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $100.00 to $102.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, December 12th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Merck & Co., Inc. presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $110.13.

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.