Stiles Financial Services Inc Sells 1,882 Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK)

Stiles Financial Services Inc reduced its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 12.5% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 13,232 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,882 shares during the quarter. Stiles Financial Services Inc’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $1,316,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Focused Wealth Management Inc grew its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 1.7% during the 4th quarter. Focused Wealth Management Inc now owns 7,520 shares of the company’s stock worth $748,000 after buying an additional 128 shares during the period. Stockman Wealth Management Inc. boosted its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 10.4% during the fourth quarter. Stockman Wealth Management Inc. now owns 128,012 shares of the company’s stock worth $12,735,000 after acquiring an additional 12,091 shares in the last quarter. Howland Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 3.7% in the fourth quarter. Howland Capital Management LLC now owns 40,400 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,052,000 after purchasing an additional 1,444 shares during the period. Northeast Investment Management increased its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 1.1% in the fourth quarter. Northeast Investment Management now owns 64,556 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,422,000 after purchasing an additional 714 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Summit Wealth & Retirement Planning Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.9% during the fourth quarter. Summit Wealth & Retirement Planning Inc. now owns 4,675 shares of the company’s stock valued at $465,000 after purchasing an additional 133 shares during the period. 76.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Inge G. Thulin bought 2,833 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 6th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $88.25 per share, with a total value of $250,012.25. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 2,933 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $258,837.25. This represents a 2,833.00 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Cristal N. Downing sold 2,361 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $88.76, for a total value of $209,562.36. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 7,085 shares in the company, valued at approximately $628,864.60. The trade was a 24.99 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.09% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Merck & Co., Inc. Price Performance

Shares of NYSE MRK opened at $87.26 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $220.73 billion, a PE ratio of 12.97, a PEG ratio of 0.83 and a beta of 0.38. The company has a quick ratio of 1.15, a current ratio of 1.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.79. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $98.72 and its 200-day moving average price is $106.48. Merck & Co., Inc. has a twelve month low of $87.12 and a twelve month high of $134.63.

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

Merck & Co., Inc. declared that its board has authorized a stock repurchase program on Tuesday, January 28th that allows the company to repurchase $10.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the company to buy up to 4.1% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are usually a sign that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

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 given a dividend of $0.81 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 17th. This represents a $3.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.71%. Merck & Co., Inc.’s payout ratio is currently 48.14%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MRK has been the subject of several research reports. Citigroup reduced their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $125.00 to $115.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. Hsbc Global Res raised Merck & Co., Inc. from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 4th. Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $113.00 to $106.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, February 5th. Truist Financial reissued a “hold” rating and issued a $110.00 price target (down previously from $130.00) on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. Finally, Guggenheim lowered their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $137.00 to $130.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, November 6th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and three have given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $120.33.

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.