Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) Shares Sold by Pinnacle Wealth Management Group Inc.

Pinnacle Wealth Management Group Inc. cut its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 11.2% in the second quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 2,384 shares of the company’s stock after selling 300 shares during the quarter. Pinnacle Wealth Management Group Inc.’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $275,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Kepos Capital LP acquired a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the 4th quarter worth approximately $36,000. Ruedi Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the 4th quarter worth approximately $39,000. Front Row Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 36.0% during the 1st quarter. Front Row Advisors LLC now owns 363 shares of the company’s stock worth $39,000 after buying an additional 96 shares during the period. Kalos Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the 1st quarter worth approximately $64,000. Finally, Financial Connections Group Inc. increased its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 47.1% during the fourth quarter. Financial Connections Group Inc. now owns 718 shares of the company’s stock worth $79,000 after purchasing an additional 230 shares in the last quarter. 74.59% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Steven Mizell sold 4,250 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $109.01, for a total transaction of $463,292.50. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 22,935 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,500,144.35. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Company insiders own 0.20% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages recently commented on MRK. Truist Financial boosted their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $116.00 to $122.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 2nd. Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $135.00 price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Tuesday, September 5th. StockNews.com cut Merck & Co., Inc. from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 31st. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $102.00 to $113.00 in a research report on Tuesday, July 18th. Finally, HSBC started coverage on Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Friday, July 14th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $123.00 target price for the company. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Merck & Co., Inc. currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $124.74.

Merck & Co., Inc. Trading Down 0.7 %

MRK opened at $107.52 on Friday. Merck & Co., Inc. has a one year low of $84.52 and a one year high of $119.65. The company has a market cap of $272.83 billion, a P/E ratio of 88.13, a PEG ratio of 4.27 and a beta of 0.33. 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 business’s 50-day simple moving average is $107.87 and its 200-day simple moving average is $110.36.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 1st. The company reported ($2.06) EPS 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 business 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 business posted $1.87 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.0% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 3.03 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed 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 2.72%. Merck & Co., Inc.’s payout ratio is currently 239.34%.

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