Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) Position Lessened by FWL Investment Management LLC

FWL Investment Management LLC decreased its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 82.1% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 8,158 shares of the company’s stock after selling 37,420 shares during the period. FWL Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $941,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the stock. 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 increased its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 6.3% during the 1st quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 159,225 shares of the company’s stock valued at $13,064,000 after purchasing an additional 9,376 shares during the period. First Western Trust Bank acquired a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the 1st quarter valued at $1,078,000. Finally, Equitable Holdings Inc. increased its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 12.9% during the 1st quarter. Equitable Holdings Inc. now owns 36,124 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,964,000 after purchasing an additional 4,131 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 74.59% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Merck & Co., Inc. news, insider Johannes Jacobus Oosthuizen sold 2,081 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, November 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $102.38, for a total value of $213,052.78. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 18,191 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,862,394.58. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. In other news, insider Johannes Jacobus Oosthuizen sold 2,081 shares of Merck & Co., Inc. stock in a transaction dated Thursday, November 9th. The stock was 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 filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Richard R. Deluca sold 43,823 shares of Merck & Co., Inc. stock in a transaction dated 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 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. Insiders own 0.20% of the company’s stock.

Merck & Co., Inc. Price Performance

MRK opened at $101.50 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $257.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 56.33, a PEG 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. 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 $104.09 and a 200 day moving average price of $108.21.

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. 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 during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $15.30 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.85 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.0% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts forecast that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 1.37 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MRK has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. StockNews.com initiated coverage on Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Thursday, October 5th. They issued a “buy” rating on the stock. 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. 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. Cantor Fitzgerald restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $135.00 target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Wednesday, November 15th. Finally, 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. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seventeen have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Merck & Co., Inc. has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $125.14.

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.