Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK Stock Holdings Lowered by Kempner Capital Management Inc.

Kempner Capital Management Inc. lessened its position in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 46.5% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 36,621 shares of the company’s stock after selling 31,785 shares during the period. Merck & Co., Inc. makes up 2.6% of Kempner Capital Management Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 17th biggest position. Kempner Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $3,074,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Carnegie Investment Counsel raised its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 14.3% during the third quarter. Carnegie Investment Counsel now owns 74,866 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,283,000 after buying an additional 9,342 shares during the last quarter. LeConte Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $233,000. Darwin Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 237.4% during the 3rd quarter. Darwin Wealth Management LLC now owns 307 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 216 shares in the last quarter. Stockman Wealth Management Inc. raised its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 5.4% during the 3rd quarter. Stockman Wealth Management Inc. now owns 177,975 shares of the company’s stock valued at $14,937,000 after acquiring an additional 9,111 shares in the last quarter. Finally, New Hampshire Trust boosted its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 10.2% during the 3rd quarter. New Hampshire Trust now owns 59,215 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,970,000 after acquiring an additional 5,471 shares during the period. 76.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Merck & Co., Inc. Price Performance

Shares of NYSE MRK opened at $106.90 on Friday. Merck & Co., Inc. has a twelve month low of $73.31 and a twelve month high of $107.05. The company has a current ratio of 1.66, a quick ratio of 1.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77. The company has a market capitalization of $265.33 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.12, a PEG ratio of 1.01 and a beta of 0.29. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $95.49 and a two-hundred day moving average of $87.08.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, January 30th. The company reported $1.94 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 29.63% and a return on equity of 44.54%. As a group, analysts expect that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 8th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 15th will be issued a $0.85 dividend. This is an increase from Merck & Co., Inc.’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.81. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 15th. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio is currently 44.91%.

Insider Activity at Merck & Co., Inc.

In other news, EVP David Michael Williams sold 8,614 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, November 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $83.59, for a total transaction of $720,044.26. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 24,578 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,054,475.02. This represents a 25.95% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MRK has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Scotiabank lifted their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $105.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “sector outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 4th. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $100.00 to $102.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, December 12th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $110.00 to $111.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 18th. Berenberg Bank cut shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and decreased their price objective for the company from $100.00 to $90.00 in a report on Wednesday, September 17th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, November 8th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Merck & Co., Inc. presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $110.13.

Merck & Co., Inc. 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.