Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) Shares Purchased by Cary Street Partners Investment Advisory LLC

Cary Street Partners Investment Advisory LLC grew its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 2.8% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 116,527 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 3,180 shares during the quarter. Merck & Co., Inc. accounts for 0.9% of Cary Street Partners Investment Advisory LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 22nd largest position. Cary Street Partners Investment Advisory LLC’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $13,446,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of MRK. Cantor Fitzgerald Investment Advisor L.P increased its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 94.2% during the 1st quarter. Cantor Fitzgerald Investment Advisor L.P now owns 349,588 shares of the company’s stock valued at $28,683,000 after purchasing an additional 169,536 shares during the period. BCK Partners Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the 1st quarter valued at $2,423,000. NewEdge Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 6.3% in the 1st quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 159,225 shares of the company’s stock worth $13,064,000 after acquiring an additional 9,376 shares during the last quarter. First Western Trust Bank acquired a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the 1st quarter worth $1,078,000. Finally, Equitable Holdings Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 12.9% in the 1st quarter. Equitable Holdings Inc. now owns 36,124 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,964,000 after acquiring an additional 4,131 shares during the last quarter. 74.59% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Merck & Co., Inc. Price Performance

MRK opened at $101.63 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $257.53 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 56.66, a PEG ratio of 8.76 and a beta of 0.37. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 1 year low of $96.36 and a 1 year high of $119.65. The company has a current ratio of 1.38, a quick ratio of 1.12 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.82. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $104.24 and a 200 day moving average price of $108.45.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 26th. The company reported $2.13 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.94 by $0.19. The firm had revenue of $16 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $15.30 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 18.26% and a net margin of 7.77%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.85 earnings per share. Analysts forecast that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 1.37 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on the company. BMO Capital Markets upgraded Merck & Co., Inc. from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $132.00 target price on the stock in a report on Friday, October 27th. UBS Group upgraded Merck & Co., Inc. from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $117.00 to $122.00 in a report on Friday, October 20th. Cantor Fitzgerald restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $135.00 target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Wednesday. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft initiated coverage on Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Thursday, November 9th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $115.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $115.00 to $118.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, October 27th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seventeen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Merck & Co., Inc. presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $125.14.

Insider Buying and Selling at Merck & Co., Inc.

In other Merck & Co., Inc. news, EVP Richard R. Deluca sold 43,823 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $105.03, for a total transaction of $4,602,729.69. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 111,764 shares in the company, valued at $11,738,572.92. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. In other Merck & Co., Inc. news, insider Johannes Jacobus Oosthuizen sold 2,081 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, November 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $102.38, for a total transaction of $213,052.78. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 18,191 shares in the company, valued at $1,862,394.58. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Richard R. Deluca sold 43,823 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $105.03, for a total value of $4,602,729.69. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 111,764 shares in the company, valued at $11,738,572.92. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.20% of the company’s stock.

Merck & Co., Inc. 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.