Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) Receives Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) have been assigned an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the nineteen research firms that are covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have given a buy rating to the company. The average 12 month price target among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $124.74.

Several analysts recently issued reports on MRK shares. TheStreet cut Merck & Co., Inc. from an “a-” rating to a “c+” rating in a research report on Friday, September 1st. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $109.00 to $116.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 2nd. BMO Capital Markets raised their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $102.00 to $113.00 in a report on Tuesday, July 18th. HSBC began coverage on Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Friday, July 14th. They set a “hold” rating and a $123.00 price target for the company. Finally, StockNews.com cut Merck & Co., Inc. from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, August 31st.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Steven Mizell sold 4,500 shares of Merck & Co., Inc. stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $105.49, for a total value of $474,705.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 27,185 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,867,745.65. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.20% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Marquette Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. during the 2nd quarter worth $26,000. Your Advocates Ltd. LLP acquired a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. during the 2nd quarter worth about $28,000. Kepos Capital LP acquired a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. during the 4th quarter worth about $36,000. Level Financial Advisors Inc. lifted its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 45.5% during the 2nd quarter. Level Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 320 shares of the company’s stock worth $37,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares during the period. Finally, Ruedi Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. during the 4th quarter worth about $39,000. 74.59% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Down 1.1 %

MRK stock opened at $107.81 on Thursday. Merck & Co., Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $84.52 and a fifty-two week high of $119.65. The business’s 50-day moving average is $108.09 and its two-hundred day moving average is $110.38. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.88, a quick ratio of 1.03 and a current ratio of 1.28. The company has a market cap of $273.57 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 88.37, a P/E/G ratio of 4.26 and a beta of 0.33.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, August 1st. The company reported ($2.06) earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of ($2.18) by $0.12. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 16.29% and a net margin of 5.34%. The company had revenue of $15.04 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $14.44 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.87 earnings per share. Merck & Co., Inc.’s revenue was up 3.0% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts forecast that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 3.03 earnings per share for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, October 6th. Stockholders of record on Friday, September 15th will be issued a $0.73 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, September 14th. This represents a $2.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.71%. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio is presently 239.34%.

About Merck & Co., Inc.

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, as well as vaccine products, such as preventive pediatric, adolescent, and adult vaccines.