Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) Stock Position Raised by B & T Capital Management DBA Alpha Capital Management

B & T Capital Management DBA Alpha Capital Management boosted its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 5.5% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 39,372 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,040 shares during the period. B & T Capital Management DBA Alpha Capital Management’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $3,917,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Edgestream Partners L.P. acquired a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the 2nd quarter worth about $1,207,000. WCG Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 14.0% in the 2nd quarter. WCG Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 15,245 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,887,000 after purchasing an additional 1,870 shares during the last quarter. Cowa LLC raised its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 25.7% during the second quarter. Cowa LLC now owns 1,957 shares of the company’s stock valued at $244,000 after buying an additional 400 shares during the last quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 6.5% during the second quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 294,806 shares of the company’s stock worth $36,497,000 after buying an additional 18,040 shares during the period. Finally, Brighton Jones LLC boosted its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 1.1% during the second quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 31,742 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,930,000 after buying an additional 346 shares during the period. 76.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Merck & Co., Inc. Price Performance

MRK stock opened at $98.00 on Friday. Merck & Co., Inc. has a one year low of $94.48 and a one year high of $134.63. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $100.11 and a two-hundred day moving average of $110.06. The firm has a market capitalization of $247.91 billion, a PE ratio of 20.55, a P/E/G ratio of 1.17 and a beta of 0.39. 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. (NYSE:MRK) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 31st. The company reported $1.57 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.50 by $0.07. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 19.23% and a return on equity of 36.42%. The firm had revenue of $16.66 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $16.47 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.13 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 4.4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts forecast that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 7.7 earnings per share for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 8th. Investors of record on Monday, December 16th were paid a $0.81 dividend. This is an increase from Merck & Co., Inc.’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.77. This represents a $3.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.31%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 16th. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio is currently 67.92%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have weighed in on the company. Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $155.00 target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Thursday, October 3rd. Barclays reduced their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $142.00 to $140.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Monday, October 7th. HSBC raised shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $130.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, December 4th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $125.00 to $110.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, November 1st. Finally, Hsbc Global Res upgraded shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 4th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and four have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $123.67.

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.