Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) Shares Sold by Elo Mutual Pension Insurance Co

Elo Mutual Pension Insurance Co lessened its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 1.6% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 227,772 shares of the company’s stock after selling 3,766 shares during the quarter. Merck & Co., Inc. makes up approximately 0.7% of Elo Mutual Pension Insurance Co’s holdings, making the stock its 24th biggest holding. Elo Mutual Pension Insurance Co’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $28,198,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Burkett Financial Services LLC bought a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. during the fourth quarter valued at $28,000. Tidemark LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the fourth quarter worth $31,000. Clear Investment Research LLC bought a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the 4th quarter worth about $39,000. Finally, Roble Belko & Company Inc boosted its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 35.3% in the 1st quarter. Roble Belko & Company Inc now owns 326 shares of the company’s stock valued at $43,000 after buying an additional 85 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 76.07% of the company’s stock.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Performance

MRK stock opened at $118.30 on Wednesday. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $118.47 and a 200 day simple moving average of $124.44. The company has a market capitalization of $299.63 billion, a P/E ratio of 131.44, a PEG ratio of 1.59 and a beta of 0.39. The company has a quick ratio of 1.22, a current ratio of 1.47 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80. Merck & Co., Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $99.14 and a fifty-two week high of $134.63.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 30th. The company reported $2.28 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.16 by $0.12. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 21.99% and a return on equity of 40.69%. The company had revenue of $16.10 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $15.87 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted ($2.06) EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts predict that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 8.01 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, October 7th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 16th will be paid a dividend of $0.77 per share. This represents a $3.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.60%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 16th. Merck & Co., Inc.’s payout ratio is currently 342.22%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on MRK shares. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $140.00 to $125.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, July 31st. Cantor Fitzgerald reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $155.00 price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Monday. UBS Group reduced their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $148.00 to $142.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, July 31st. Barclays dropped their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $145.00 to $142.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, July 31st. Finally, Argus raised shares of Merck & Co., Inc. to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, June 5th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and four have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $134.58.

Merck & Co., Inc. Company Profile

Merck & Co, Inc operates as a healthcare company worldwide. It operates through two segments, Pharmaceutical and Animal Health. The Pharmaceutical segment offers human health pharmaceutical products in the areas of oncology, hospital acute care, immunology, neuroscience, virology, cardiovascular, and diabetes under the Keytruda, Bridion, Adempas, Lagevrio, Belsomra, Simponi, and Januvia brands, as well as vaccine products consisting of preventive pediatric, adolescent, and adult vaccines under the Gardasil/Gardasil 9, ProQuad, M-M-R II, Varivax, RotaTeq, Live Oral, Vaxneuvance, Pneumovax 23, and Vaqta names.