Cerity Partners LLC Cuts Stock Holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Cerity Partners LLC lessened its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 13.9% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 1,709,626 shares of the company’s stock after selling 277,099 shares during the period. Cerity Partners LLC’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $143,489,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of MRK. Galvin Gaustad & Stein LLC lifted its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 4.9% during the third quarter. Galvin Gaustad & Stein LLC now owns 3,562 shares of the company’s stock worth $299,000 after buying an additional 167 shares during the period. McIlrath & Eck LLC raised its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 7.5% in the 3rd quarter. McIlrath & Eck LLC now owns 6,040 shares of the company’s stock worth $507,000 after acquiring an additional 421 shares in the last quarter. Barry Investment Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 4.8% in the 3rd quarter. Barry Investment Advisors LLC now owns 19,673 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,651,000 after acquiring an additional 901 shares in the last quarter. Mccarter Private Wealth Services LLC lifted its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 28.6% during the 3rd quarter. Mccarter Private Wealth Services LLC now owns 6,797 shares of the company’s stock worth $570,000 after purchasing an additional 1,510 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Cordatus Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 91.8% during the third quarter. Cordatus Wealth Management LLC now owns 33,159 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,783,000 after purchasing an additional 15,872 shares in the last quarter. 76.07% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Merck & Co., Inc.

In related news, EVP David Michael Williams sold 8,614 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, November 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $83.59, for a total value of $720,044.26. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 24,578 shares in the company, valued at $2,054,475.02. This trade represents a 25.95% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 0.09% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have commented on MRK shares. Berenberg Bank downgraded shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and reduced their target price for the stock from $100.00 to $90.00 in a report on Wednesday, September 17th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Citigroup initiated coverage on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Monday, October 13th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $95.00 price objective for the company. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their target price 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. Finally, BMO Capital Markets raised shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $82.00 to $130.00 in a report on Thursday, December 18th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $110.13.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Performance

Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. stock opened at $108.98 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $270.48 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.40, a PEG ratio of 1.10 and a beta of 0.29. The company has a quick ratio of 1.44, a current ratio of 1.66 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $98.18 and a 200 day moving average price of $88.48. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 52 week low of $73.31 and a 52 week high of $110.17.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, February 3rd. The company reported $1.94 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.08 by ($0.14). Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 44.54% and a net margin of 29.63%. Sell-side analysts expect that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 EPS for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 8th. Investors of record on Monday, December 15th will be given a $0.85 dividend. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 15th. This is a positive change from Merck & Co., Inc.’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.81. Merck & Co., Inc.’s payout ratio is currently 44.91%.

About Merck & Co., Inc.

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.