Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) PT Lowered to $136.00

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) had its target price reduced by UBS Group from $142.00 to $136.00 in a report issued on Wednesday, Benzinga reports. UBS Group currently has a buy rating on the stock.

Other equities research analysts have also recently issued research reports about the stock. Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed an overweight rating and set a $155.00 target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Thursday, October 3rd. Barclays lowered their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $142.00 to $140.00 and set an overweight rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, October 7th. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $132.00 to $134.00 and gave the stock an equal weight rating in a research note on Thursday, July 11th. Bank of America lowered their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $150.00 to $145.00 and set a buy rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, July 31st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $140.00 to $125.00 and set an equal weight rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, July 31st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and four have given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of Buy and a consensus target price of $133.00.

Merck & Co., Inc. Price Performance

Merck & Co., Inc. stock opened at $109.73 on Wednesday. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $114.59 and its 200 day moving average price is $123.14. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 1 year low of $99.14 and a 1 year high of $134.63. The stock has a market capitalization of $277.92 billion, a P/E ratio of 121.92, a P/E/G ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 0.39. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80, a quick ratio of 1.22 and a current ratio of 1.47.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, July 30th. The company reported $2.28 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.16 by $0.12. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 21.99% and a return on equity of 40.69%. The company had revenue of $16.10 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $15.87 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted ($2.06) EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 7.1% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 7.88 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, October 7th. Investors of record on Monday, September 16th were issued a $0.77 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, September 16th. This represents a $3.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.81%. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 342.22%.

Institutional Trading of Merck & Co., Inc.

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. purchased a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. during the second quarter worth about $39,000. Abich Financial Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 121.8% during the second quarter. Abich Financial Wealth Management LLC now owns 326 shares of the company’s stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 179 shares in the last quarter. Quarry LP acquired a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the second quarter worth about $42,000. Roble Belko & Company Inc lifted its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 35.3% during the first quarter. Roble Belko & Company Inc now owns 326 shares of the company’s stock worth $43,000 after purchasing an additional 85 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Strategic Financial Concepts LLC lifted its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 1,475.6% during the second quarter. Strategic Financial Concepts LLC now owns 35,057 shares of the company’s stock worth $43,000 after purchasing an additional 32,832 shares in the last quarter. 76.07% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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 under the Keytruda, Bridion, Adempas, Lagevrio, Belsomra, Simponi, and Januvia brands, as well as vaccine products consisting of preventive pediatric, adolescent, and adult vaccines under the Gardasil/Gardasil 9, ProQuad, M-M-R II, Varivax, RotaTeq, Live Oral, Vaxneuvance, Pneumovax 23, and Vaqta names.