Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) Shares Sold by J.Safra Asset Management Corp

J.Safra Asset Management Corp lowered its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 19.3% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 1,583 shares of the company’s stock after selling 378 shares during the period. J.Safra Asset Management Corp’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $173,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Roberts Wealth Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.3% in the 3rd quarter. Roberts Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 21,302 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,218,000 after buying an additional 486 shares in the last quarter. Argus Investors Counsel Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 3.6% in the 3rd quarter. Argus Investors Counsel Inc. now owns 9,629 shares of the company’s stock worth $991,000 after acquiring an additional 333 shares during the last quarter. Howland Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.5% in the 3rd quarter. Howland Capital Management LLC now owns 51,701 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,360,000 after acquiring an additional 232 shares during the last quarter. Meridian Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 3.2% in the 3rd quarter. Meridian Wealth Management LLC now owns 49,655 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,112,000 after acquiring an additional 1,541 shares during the last quarter. Finally, B.O.S.S. Retirement Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 13.6% in the 3rd quarter. B.O.S.S. Retirement Advisors LLC now owns 24,501 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,522,000 after acquiring an additional 2,927 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 76.07% of the company’s stock.

Merck & Co., Inc. Trading Up 2.9 %

MRK stock traded up $3.71 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $130.71. 12,747,423 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 8,343,713. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $126.34 and its 200-day moving average price is $115.69. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89, a quick ratio of 1.00 and a current ratio of 1.25. The company has a market cap of $331.09 billion, a PE ratio of 933.64, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.65 and a beta of 0.38. Merck & Co., Inc. has a one year low of $99.14 and a one year high of $133.10.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 1st. The company reported $0.03 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.09) by $0.12. The company had revenue of $14.63 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $14.49 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 9.33% and a net margin of 0.61%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 5.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.62 earnings per share. Research analysts predict that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 8.57 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have commented on the company. TheStreet downgraded Merck & Co., Inc. from a “b+” rating to a “c+” rating in a research note on Monday, March 4th. Barclays upped their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $135.00 to $145.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, February 2nd. TD Cowen raised Merck & Co., Inc. from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and upped their price target for the company from $125.00 to $135.00 in a report on Thursday, January 4th. Societe Generale lowered Merck & Co., Inc. from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating and set a $104.00 price objective on the stock. in a research note on Monday, March 11th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded Merck & Co., Inc. from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 2nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating, eight have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $131.25.

Insider Activity at Merck & Co., Inc.

In other Merck & Co., Inc. news, insider Joseph Romanelli sold 1,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $124.89, for a total transaction of $124,890.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 19,569 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,443,972.41. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. In other news, EVP Steven Mizell sold 50,694 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $126.65, for a total transaction of $6,420,395.10. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 23,619 shares in the company, valued at $2,991,346.35. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Joseph Romanelli sold 1,000 shares of Merck & Co., Inc. stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $124.89, for a total value of $124,890.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 19,569 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,443,972.41. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.09% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

About Merck & Co., Inc.

Merck & Co, Inc operates as a healthcare company worldwide. It operates through two segments, Pharmaceutical and Animal Health. The Pharmaceutical segment offers human health pharmaceutical products in the areas of oncology, hospital acute care, immunology, neuroscience, virology, cardiovascular, and diabetes under the Keytruda, Bridion, Adempas, Lagevrio, Belsomra, Simponi, and Januvia brands, as well as vaccine products consisting of preventive pediatric, adolescent, and adult vaccines under the Gardasil/Gardasil 9, ProQuad, M-M-R II, Varivax, RotaTeq, Live Oral, Vaxneuvance, Pneumovax 23, and Vaqta names.