Encompass More Asset Management Sells 144 Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK)

Encompass More Asset Management lessened its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 5.9% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 2,313 shares of the company’s stock after selling 144 shares during the quarter. Encompass More Asset Management’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $230,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in MRK. Impact Partnership Wealth LLC boosted its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 21.9% during the 4th quarter. Impact Partnership Wealth LLC now owns 11,134 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,108,000 after acquiring an additional 2,000 shares during the last quarter. St. Johns Investment Management Company LLC lifted its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 4.4% in the fourth quarter. St. Johns Investment Management Company LLC now owns 17,417 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,733,000 after purchasing an additional 731 shares in the last quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC grew its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 10.1% in the fourth quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 6,190 shares of the company’s stock valued at $616,000 after purchasing an additional 569 shares in the last quarter. LexAurum Advisors LLC increased its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 4.1% in the 4th quarter. LexAurum Advisors LLC now owns 11,500 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,144,000 after buying an additional 450 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Neumann Capital Management LLC lifted its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 20.5% during the 4th quarter. Neumann Capital Management LLC now owns 5,885 shares of the company’s stock worth $585,000 after buying an additional 1,000 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 76.07% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MRK has been the subject of several analyst reports. UBS Group decreased their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $125.00 to $120.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Sanford C. Bernstein began coverage on Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. They set a “market perform” rating and a $115.00 price target on the stock. Guggenheim cut their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $137.00 to $130.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, November 6th. Leerink Partners lowered their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $136.00 to $119.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, January 13th. Finally, Citigroup cut their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $140.00 to $130.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, October 25th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and four have given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $123.00.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Down 1.1 %

MRK stock opened at $95.54 on Friday. Merck & Co., Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $94.48 and a fifty-two week high of $134.63. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.79, a current ratio of 1.36 and a quick ratio of 1.15. The stock has a market capitalization of $241.69 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.03, a PEG ratio of 1.13 and a beta of 0.39. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $99.81 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $109.02.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 31st. The company reported $1.57 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.50 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $16.66 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $16.47 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 19.23% and a return on equity of 36.42%. The business’s revenue was up 4.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $2.13 EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 7.67 earnings per share for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 8th. Investors of record on Monday, December 16th were given a dividend of $0.81 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 16th. This represents a $3.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.39%. This is an increase from Merck & Co., Inc.’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.77. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio is currently 67.92%.

Merck & Co., Inc. Profile

Merck & Co, Inc is a health care company, which engages in the provision of health solutions through its prescription medicines, vaccines, biologic therapies, animal health, and consumer care products. It operates through the following segments: Pharmaceutical, Animal Health, and Other. The Pharmaceutical segment includes human health pharmaceutical and vaccine products.