Bessemer Group Inc. Increases Stock Position in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK)

Bessemer Group Inc. grew its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 11.6% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,633,278 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 169,319 shares during the period. Bessemer Group Inc. owned about 0.06% of Merck & Co., Inc. worth $188,463,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Marquette Asset Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the 2nd quarter valued at $26,000. Your Advocates Ltd. LLP bought a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. during the second quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Level Financial Advisors Inc. raised its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 45.5% in the second 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. Front Row Advisors LLC boosted 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 acquiring an additional 96 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Activest Wealth Management bought a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the 2nd quarter valued at $40,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.59% of the company’s stock.

Merck & Co., Inc. Trading Up 0.8 %

Shares of MRK stock traded up $0.83 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $102.58. 1,724,223 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 7,441,731. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $259.94 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 56.33, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 8.82 and a beta of 0.37. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 12-month low of $96.36 and a 12-month high of $119.65. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $104.09 and its 200-day moving average price is $108.21.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 26th. The company reported $2.13 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.94 by $0.19. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 18.26% and a net margin of 7.77%. The firm had revenue of $16 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $15.30 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.85 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.0% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 1.37 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have issued reports on the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft initiated coverage on Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Thursday, November 9th. They set a “buy” rating and a $115.00 price target for the company. Truist Financial reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $122.00 price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Friday, October 6th. BMO Capital Markets upgraded shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $132.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Friday, October 27th. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $115.00 to $118.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, October 27th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $135.00 price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Wednesday, November 15th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seventeen have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $125.14.

Insider Transactions at Merck & Co., Inc.

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

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.