Patron Partners LLC Has $1.23 Million Holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK)

Patron Partners LLC grew its position in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 14.1% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 12,383 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 1,528 shares during the quarter. Patron Partners LLC’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $1,232,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in MRK. Dupree Financial Group LLC increased its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 4.1% in the fourth quarter. Dupree Financial Group LLC now owns 4,924 shares of the company’s stock worth $490,000 after acquiring an additional 194 shares during the last quarter. Alliance Wealth Advisors LLC UT boosted its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 6.0% during the 4th quarter. Alliance Wealth Advisors LLC UT now owns 26,443 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,631,000 after buying an additional 1,495 shares during the period. Baltimore Washington Financial Advisors Inc. grew its stake in 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 valued at $370,000 after buying an additional 606 shares during the last quarter. Financial Life Planners acquired a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. during the 4th quarter worth $28,000. Finally, Lederer & Associates Investment Counsel CA boosted its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 14.3% during the fourth quarter. Lederer & Associates Investment Counsel CA now owns 8,968 shares of the company’s stock valued at $892,000 after acquiring an additional 1,119 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.07% of the company’s stock.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Performance

NYSE:MRK opened at $99.79 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 1.36, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.79. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $99.83 and a 200 day simple moving average of $107.54. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 1-year low of $94.48 and a 1-year high of $134.63. The stock has a market cap of $252.42 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.92, a PEG ratio of 1.20 and a beta of 0.38.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

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

Merck & Co., Inc. announced that its Board of Directors 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 often a sign that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Sanford C. Bernstein assumed 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 on the stock. Citigroup lowered their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $130.00 to $125.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, January 28th. Wolfe Research started coverage on Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Friday, November 15th. They set a “peer perform” rating on the stock. Bank of America reissued a “buy” rating and set a $121.00 price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets cut Merck & Co., Inc. from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating and lowered their target price for the company from $136.00 to $105.00 in a research note on Friday, December 20th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and three have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Merck & Co., Inc. presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $122.67.

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.