Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) Position Lessened by Childress Capital Advisors LLC

Childress Capital Advisors LLC cut its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 12.4% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 10,838 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,540 shares during the period. Childress Capital Advisors LLC’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $1,078,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of MRK. Alliance Wealth Advisors LLC UT increased its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 6.0% in the fourth quarter. Alliance Wealth Advisors LLC UT now owns 26,443 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,631,000 after buying an additional 1,495 shares in the last quarter. Baltimore Washington Financial Advisors Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 19.5% in the 4th quarter. Baltimore Washington Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 3,721 shares of the company’s stock worth $370,000 after acquiring an additional 606 shares during the last quarter. Financial Life Planners purchased a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the fourth quarter valued at $28,000. Lederer & Associates Investment Counsel CA boosted its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 14.3% in the 4th quarter. Lederer & Associates Investment Counsel CA now owns 8,968 shares of the company’s stock valued at $892,000 after purchasing an additional 1,119 shares during the period. Finally, Catalina Capital Group LLC boosted its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 7.0% in the 4th quarter. Catalina Capital Group LLC now owns 10,323 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,027,000 after purchasing an additional 678 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.07% of the company’s stock.

Merck & Co., Inc. Trading Up 1.0 %

Shares of NYSE:MRK opened at $99.79 on Tuesday. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 52 week low of $94.48 and a 52 week high of $134.63. The company’s 50 day moving average is $99.83 and its two-hundred day moving average is $107.54. The company has a market cap of $252.42 billion, a PE ratio of 20.92, a P/E/G ratio of 1.20 and a beta of 0.38. 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. Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 7th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 17th will be issued a dividend of $0.81 per share. This represents a $3.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.25%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 17th. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 67.92%.

Merck & Co., Inc. announced that its board 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 reacquire up to 4.1% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are usually an indication that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MRK has been the subject of several analyst reports. Guggenheim reduced their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $137.00 to $130.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, November 6th. Truist Financial reaffirmed a “hold” rating and issued a $110.00 price target (down from $130.00) on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. Sanford C. Bernstein started coverage on Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Thursday, October 17th. They issued a “market perform” rating and a $115.00 target price on the stock. Citigroup cut their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $130.00 to $125.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets downgraded shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating and lowered their price objective for the stock from $136.00 to $105.00 in a research note on Friday, December 20th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and three have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $122.67.

Merck & Co., Inc. 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.