Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. Trims Position in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK)

Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. lessened its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 17.1% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 2,657,411 shares of the company’s stock after selling 546,267 shares during the quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. owned about 0.11% of Merck & Co., Inc. worth $264,359,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Twelve Points Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 28.1% during the 4th quarter. Twelve Points Wealth Management LLC now owns 15,762 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,568,000 after purchasing an additional 3,462 shares during the last quarter. Gateway Wealth Partners LLC lifted its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 10.5% in the fourth quarter. Gateway Wealth Partners LLC now owns 3,823 shares of the company’s stock worth $380,000 after buying an additional 362 shares in the last quarter. Mayflower Financial Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 1.8% during the fourth quarter. Mayflower Financial Advisors LLC now owns 25,572 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,544,000 after buying an additional 450 shares during the last quarter. Orca Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $759,000. Finally, Stonegate Investment Group LLC increased its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 3.8% in the 4th quarter. Stonegate Investment Group LLC now owns 27,654 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,751,000 after acquiring an additional 1,008 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 76.07% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Truist Financial reissued a “hold” rating and issued a $110.00 target price (down from $130.00) on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. UBS Group dropped their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $125.00 to $120.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. Hsbc Global Res upgraded shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 4th. Wolfe Research initiated coverage on Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Friday, November 15th. They issued a “peer perform” rating for the company. Finally, 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. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and four have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Merck & Co., Inc. currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $122.67.

Merck & Co., Inc. Price Performance

MRK opened at $97.49 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $246.62 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.44, a PEG ratio of 1.13 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. has a 12-month low of $94.48 and a 12-month high of $134.63. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $99.85 and its 200-day simple moving average is $108.13.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The company reported $1.57 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 company had revenue of $16.66 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $16.47 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $2.13 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 4.4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 7.67 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 7th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 17th will be issued a dividend of $0.81 per share. This represents a $3.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.32%. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio is currently 67.92%.

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 outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the company to buy up to 4.1% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are typically a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

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.