Ethic Inc. Acquires 20,816 Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Ethic Inc. lifted its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 5.8% in the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 378,857 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 20,816 shares during the quarter. Merck & Co., Inc. comprises 0.6% of Ethic Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 24th biggest holding. Ethic Inc.’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $55,052,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. StoneX Group Inc. increased its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 3.4% in the 3rd quarter. StoneX Group Inc. now owns 44,028 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,428,000 after acquiring an additional 1,463 shares in the last quarter. Axiom Investment Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.6% in the third quarter. Axiom Investment Management LLC now owns 6,581 shares of the company’s stock worth $956,000 after acquiring an additional 164 shares during the last quarter. Investment Management Corp VA ADV raised its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 15.3% in the third quarter. Investment Management Corp VA ADV now owns 7,922 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,151,000 after acquiring an additional 1,050 shares during the last quarter. Pegasus Asset Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.0% during the third quarter. Pegasus Asset Management Inc. now owns 11,213 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,629,000 after purchasing an additional 218 shares in the last quarter. Finally, American Institute for Advanced Investment Management LLP lifted its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.3% during the third quarter. American Institute for Advanced Investment Management LLP now owns 3,882 shares of the company’s stock worth $564,000 after purchasing an additional 87 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.07% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Merck & Co., Inc.

In other Merck & Co., Inc. news, EVP Jennifer Zachary sold 80,315 shares of Merck & Co., Inc. stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $133.46, for a total transaction of $10,718,839.90. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 45,509 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,073,631.14. The trade was a 63.83% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Chirfi Guindo sold 10,000 shares of Merck & Co., Inc. stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $135.00, for a total transaction of $1,350,000.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 36,613 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,942,755. This represents a 21.45% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 135,635 shares of company stock worth $18,011,040 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.17% of the company’s stock.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Performance

Merck & Co., Inc. stock opened at $146.90 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.35, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.11. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 1 year low of $85.24 and a 1 year high of $156.92. The company has a market cap of $362.42 billion, a PE ratio of 151.44, a PEG ratio of 6.68 and a beta of 0.13. The company’s 50-day moving average is $146.39 and its two-hundred day moving average is $127.63.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, October 29th. The company reported $2.49 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.09 by $0.40. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 3.64% and a return on equity of 16.73%. The company had revenue of $18.09 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $17.33 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $2.58 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.7% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts anticipate that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 2.84 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have recently commented on MRK. Leerink Partners increased their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $127.00 to $161.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 9th. Cantor Fitzgerald raised their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $145.00 to $155.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, November 2nd. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $142.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $165.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, October 30th. Finally, TD Cowen upped their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $137.00 to $155.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 23rd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have given a Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $155.74.

About Merck & Co., Inc.

Merck & Co, Inc is a global pharmaceutical company that develops and markets prescription medicines, vaccines, biologic therapies and animal-health products. The company’s research and commercial activities span areas including oncology, infectious diseases, vaccines, cardiovascular disease and immunology. Its products include the cancer medicine Keytruda and the Gardasil vaccine.

Founded in the United States in 1891, Merck & Co became an independent company in 1917. It is headquartered in Rahway, New Jersey, and operates internationally.