First Western Trust Bank Sells 2,991 Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK)

First Western Trust Bank decreased its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 22.3% during the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 10,408 shares of the company’s stock after selling 2,991 shares during the period. First Western Trust Bank’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $1,201,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of the business. Amplius Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 9.1% in the second quarter. Amplius Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 4,046 shares of the company’s stock valued at $467,000 after buying an additional 336 shares during the last quarter. Peddock Capital Advisors LLC boosted its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 8.3% in the 2nd quarter. Peddock Capital Advisors LLC now owns 16,794 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,938,000 after purchasing an additional 1,286 shares in the last quarter. Calamos Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 1.5% in the 2nd quarter. Calamos Wealth Management LLC now owns 19,388 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,237,000 after purchasing an additional 286 shares in the last quarter. Juncture Wealth Strategies LLC purchased a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $203,000. Finally, Fort Sheridan Advisors LLC boosted its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 32.5% in the 1st quarter. Fort Sheridan Advisors LLC now owns 80,366 shares of the company’s stock worth $8,550,000 after purchasing an additional 19,697 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.59% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Merck & Co., Inc.

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MRK has been the topic of several recent research reports. TheStreet lowered Merck & Co., Inc. from an “a-” rating to a “c+” rating in a research report on Friday, September 1st. Cantor Fitzgerald restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $135.00 price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Wednesday, November 15th. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $115.00 to $118.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, October 27th. BMO Capital Markets raised Merck & Co., Inc. from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $132.00 target price for the company in a research note on Friday, October 27th. Finally, StockNews.com initiated coverage on Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Thursday, October 5th. They set a “buy” rating for the company. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seventeen have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $125.14.

Merck & Co., Inc. Trading Up 0.1 %

NYSE:MRK traded up $0.09 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $101.84. The company had a trading volume of 2,589,801 shares, compared to its average volume of 7,446,458. 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 company has a 50-day moving average of $104.09 and a 200 day moving average of $108.21. The company has a market cap of $258.06 billion, a P/E ratio of 56.33, a P/E/G ratio of 8.82 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.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, October 26th. The company reported $2.13 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.94 by $0.19. The company 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 firm’s quarterly revenue was up 7.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.85 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 1.37 earnings per share for the current year.

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.