Brown Lisle Cummings Inc. Has $3.40 Million Stock Position in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK)

Brown Lisle Cummings Inc. lifted its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 6.2% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 34,182 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,995 shares during the period. Merck & Co., Inc. accounts for about 1.0% of Brown Lisle Cummings Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 24th biggest holding. Brown Lisle Cummings Inc.’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $3,400,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of MRK. Financial Life Planners acquired a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. Darwin Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $32,000. AM Squared Ltd bought a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. during the third quarter worth approximately $34,000. Safe Harbor Fiduciary LLC bought a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. during the third quarter worth approximately $34,000. Finally, Peterson Financial Group Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the third quarter worth $36,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.07% of the company’s stock.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:MRK opened at $99.79 on Tuesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $252.42 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.92, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.20 and a beta of 0.38. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $99.83 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $107.54. Merck & Co., Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $94.48 and a fifty-two week high of $134.63. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.79, a current ratio of 1.36 and a quick ratio of 1.15.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The company reported $1.72 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.85 by ($0.13). Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 19.23% and a return on equity of 36.42%. As a group, analysts predict that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 7.62 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 7th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 17th will be given a $0.81 dividend. This represents a $3.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.25%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 17th. Merck & Co., Inc.’s payout ratio is presently 67.92%.

Merck & Co., Inc. announced that its board has approved a stock buyback plan on Tuesday, January 28th that authorizes the company to buyback $10.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the company to repurchase up to 4.1% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are usually a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MRK has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $125.00 to $110.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, November 1st. Sanford C. Bernstein began coverage on Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. They set a “market perform” rating and a $115.00 price objective for the company. Citigroup lowered their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $130.00 to $125.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. Guggenheim cut their price target 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. Finally, Daiwa Capital Markets cut Merck & Co., Inc. from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, November 11th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and three have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $122.67.

About Merck & Co., Inc.

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.