Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK Stock Acquired by Kestra Advisory Services LLC

Kestra Advisory Services LLC grew its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 4.6% during the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 338,758 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 15,025 shares during the period. Kestra Advisory Services LLC’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $49,225,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of MRK. BlackRock Inc. increased its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.5% in the 2nd quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 226,999,837 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,169,479,000 after purchasing an additional 1,073,507 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp raised its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.9% in the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 120,413,256 shares of the company’s stock worth $15,573,754,000 after purchasing an additional 1,087,583 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.3% in the 2nd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 86,249,283 shares of the company’s stock worth $11,083,033,000 after purchasing an additional 1,934,312 shares during the period. Bank of America Corp DE lifted its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 10.5% during the first quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 30,774,221 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,701,831,000 after purchasing an additional 2,919,780 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 23.8% during the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 15,456,039 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,858,938,000 after purchasing an additional 2,969,856 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.07% of the company’s stock.

Merck & Co., Inc. Price Performance

Merck & Co., Inc. stock traded down $0.04 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $146.90. The stock had a trading volume of 7,626,136 shares, compared to its average volume of 10,275,775. The firm has a market capitalization of $362.42 billion, a P/E ratio of 151.44, a P/E/G ratio of 6.70 and a beta of 0.13. The company has a current ratio of 1.32, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $146.39 and its 200 day moving average is $127.63. Merck & Co., Inc. has a one year low of $85.24 and a one year high of $156.92.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 29th. The company reported $2.49 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.09 by $0.40. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 16.56% and a net margin of 3.64%. The business had revenue of $18.09 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $17.33 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.58 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 4.7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 2.84 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Chirfi Guindo sold 10,000 shares of Merck & Co., Inc. stock in a transaction that occurred 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 owned 36,613 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,942,755. This trade represents a 21.45% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Jennifer Zachary sold 80,315 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $133.46, for a total value of $10,718,839.90. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 45,509 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,073,631.14. This represents a 63.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 135,635 shares of company stock worth $18,011,040. 0.17% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have issued reports on MRK. Citigroup boosted their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $125.00 to $145.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, October 12th. Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $179.00 to $177.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, October 7th. Barclays lifted their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $150.00 to $180.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, October 26th. HSBC boosted their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $150.00 to $172.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, September 10th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $165.00 to $175.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, October 30th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have given a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $155.74.

Merck & Co., Inc. Company Profile

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.