Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) Shares Sold by Fairhaven Wealth Management LLC

Fairhaven Wealth Management LLC cut its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 3.4% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 29,012 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,019 shares during the quarter. Merck & Co., Inc. makes up 0.9% of Fairhaven Wealth Management LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 25th largest position. Fairhaven Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $2,886,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Stack Financial Management Inc increased its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.5% in the fourth quarter. Stack Financial Management Inc now owns 225,340 shares of the company’s stock valued at $22,417,000 after purchasing an additional 1,064 shares during the last quarter. Wrapmanager Inc. boosted its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 12.5% in the 4th quarter. Wrapmanager Inc. now owns 7,603 shares of the company’s stock worth $756,000 after buying an additional 845 shares during the last quarter. BankPlus Trust Department purchased a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. in the 4th quarter valued at about $601,000. Holistic Financial Partners increased its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 8.0% during the 4th quarter. Holistic Financial Partners now owns 4,596 shares of the company’s stock valued at $457,000 after acquiring an additional 339 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Northwest Capital Management Inc lifted its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 4.6% during the 4th quarter. Northwest Capital Management Inc now owns 15,375 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,530,000 after acquiring an additional 670 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.07% of the company’s stock.

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

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

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Up 1.9 %

NYSE:MRK opened at $91.22 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.79, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a current ratio of 1.36. The company has a market capitalization of $230.74 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.55, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.77 and a beta of 0.38. Merck & Co., Inc. has a one year low of $81.04 and a one year high of $134.63. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $95.28 and a 200 day simple moving average of $103.94.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last issued its 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 return on equity of 45.35% and a net margin of 26.67%. The business had revenue of $15.62 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $15.51 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.03 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.8% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts predict that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.55%. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio is currently 48.14%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts recently commented on the stock. UBS Group dropped their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $125.00 to $120.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. Leerink Partners dropped their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $136.00 to $119.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Monday, January 13th. Bank of America cut their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $118.00 to $112.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, February 5th. TD Cowen downgraded Merck & Co., Inc. from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and lowered their price target for the company from $121.00 to $100.00 in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Finally, TD Securities downgraded Merck & Co., Inc. from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and cut their price objective for the stock from $121.00 to $100.00 in a report on Monday, February 10th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have issued a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and three have issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $116.39.

Merck & Co., Inc. Company 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.