Miller Howard Investments Inc. NY Has $36.67 Million Stake in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK)

Miller Howard Investments Inc. NY cut its position in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 12.8% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 368,617 shares of the company’s stock after selling 54,063 shares during the quarter. Miller Howard Investments Inc. NY’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $36,670,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in MRK. Stockman Wealth Management Inc. lifted its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 10.4% during the fourth quarter. Stockman Wealth Management Inc. now owns 128,012 shares of the company’s stock worth $12,735,000 after purchasing an additional 12,091 shares during the last quarter. Howland Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 3.7% during the 4th quarter. Howland Capital Management LLC now owns 40,400 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,052,000 after buying an additional 1,444 shares during the last quarter. Northeast Investment Management boosted its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 1.1% in the fourth quarter. Northeast Investment Management now owns 64,556 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,422,000 after buying an additional 714 shares in the last quarter. Summit Wealth & Retirement Planning Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.9% in the 4th quarter. Summit Wealth & Retirement Planning Inc. now owns 4,675 shares of the company’s stock valued at $465,000 after purchasing an additional 133 shares in the last quarter. Finally, WestEnd Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 19.1% during the 4th quarter. WestEnd Advisors LLC now owns 370,089 shares of the company’s stock valued at $36,816,000 after purchasing an additional 59,386 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 76.07% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Cristal N. Downing sold 2,361 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $88.76, for a total transaction of $209,562.36. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 7,085 shares in the company, valued at approximately $628,864.60. This represents a 24.99 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Inge G. Thulin acquired 2,833 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 6th. The shares were bought at an average price of $88.25 per share, for a total transaction of $250,012.25. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now owns 2,933 shares in the company, valued at approximately $258,837.25. This represents a 2,833.00 % increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.09% of the company’s stock.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Down 0.9 %

MRK stock opened at $87.26 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.79, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a current ratio of 1.36. Merck & Co., Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $87.12 and a fifty-two week high of $134.63. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $98.72 and its 200 day simple moving average is $106.60. The company has a market cap of $220.73 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.97, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.83 and a beta of 0.38.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 4th. The company reported $1.72 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.85 by ($0.13). The business had revenue of $15.62 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $15.51 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 45.35% and a net margin of 26.67%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 6.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.03 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 7th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 17th will be paid a dividend of $0.81 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 17th. This represents a $3.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.71%. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 48.14%.

Merck & Co., Inc. declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a share buyback program on Tuesday, January 28th that authorizes the company to repurchase $10.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the company to purchase up to 4.1% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are often a sign that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have weighed in on MRK. Daiwa America lowered shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, November 11th. Daiwa Capital Markets cut Merck & Co., Inc. from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, November 11th. BMO Capital Markets cut their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $105.00 to $96.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday. Wolfe Research began coverage on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Friday, November 15th. They set a “peer perform” rating on the stock. Finally, Citigroup decreased their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $125.00 to $115.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and three have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Merck & Co., Inc. currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $120.33.

Merck & Co., Inc. Company 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.