iA Global Asset Management Inc. Reduces Holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

iA Global Asset Management Inc. lessened its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 77.7% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 26,713 shares of the company’s stock after selling 93,345 shares during the quarter. iA Global Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $2,242,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Chemung Canal Trust Co. boosted its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 21.1% during the 3rd quarter. Chemung Canal Trust Co. now owns 76,338 shares of the company’s stock worth $6,407,000 after acquiring an additional 13,285 shares in the last quarter. First Pacific Financial lifted its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 14.7% during the third quarter. First Pacific Financial now owns 47,555 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,991,000 after purchasing an additional 6,082 shares during the last quarter. Diversified Trust Co boosted its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 9.6% in the third quarter. Diversified Trust Co now owns 207,838 shares of the company’s stock valued at $17,444,000 after purchasing an additional 18,187 shares in the last quarter. Caxton Associates LLP boosted its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 23.3% in the second quarter. Caxton Associates LLP now owns 39,421 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,121,000 after purchasing an additional 7,458 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Live Oak Investment Partners increased its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 209.1% in the second quarter. Live Oak Investment Partners now owns 23,949 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,896,000 after purchasing an additional 16,202 shares during the last quarter. 76.07% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Merck & Co., Inc. Trading Down 1.0%

Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. stock opened at $108.12 on Friday. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 1 year low of $73.31 and a 1 year high of $112.90. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 1.44 and a current ratio of 1.66. The company has a market capitalization of $268.34 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.28, a PEG ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 0.29. The company’s fifty day moving average is $103.94 and its two-hundred day moving average is $91.07.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, February 3rd. The company reported $1.94 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.08 by ($0.14). Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 29.63% and a return on equity of 44.54%. Analysts forecast that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 earnings per share for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 8th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 15th were given a dividend of $0.85 per share. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 15th. This is a positive change from Merck & Co., Inc.’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.81. Merck & Co., Inc.’s payout ratio is 44.91%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Wolfe Research upgraded shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “peer perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $135.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. TD Cowen lifted their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $100.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 20th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, January 17th. BMO Capital Markets upgraded shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and upped their price objective for the company from $82.00 to $130.00 in a research note on Thursday, December 18th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $100.00 to $102.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, December 12th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have given a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $114.20.

Insider Buying and Selling at Merck & Co., Inc.

In other news, EVP David Michael Williams sold 8,614 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $83.59, for a total value of $720,044.26. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 24,578 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,054,475.02. The trade was a 25.95% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

Merck & Co., Inc. Company Profile

Merck & Co, Inc is a global biopharmaceutical company engaged in the discovery, development, manufacture and marketing of prescription medicines, vaccines, biologic therapies and animal health products. Its portfolio spans multiple therapeutic areas with a particular emphasis on oncology, vaccines and infectious disease, as well as therapies for metabolic and chronic conditions. Among its well-known products are the cancer immunotherapy Keytruda (pembrolizumab) and the human papillomavirus vaccine Gardasil; the company also markets a range of medicines and vaccines for veterinary use through Merck Animal Health.

Founded in the late 19th century as the U.S.