Los Angeles Capital Management LLC Has $286.41 Million Stake in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Los Angeles Capital Management LLC increased its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 39.0% in the third quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 3,412,448 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 956,879 shares during the quarter. Merck & Co., Inc. makes up approximately 1.0% of Los Angeles Capital Management LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 14th largest position. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $286,407,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of MRK. Merit Financial Group LLC boosted its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 13.3% during the third quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC now owns 140,743 shares of the company’s stock worth $11,813,000 after buying an additional 16,545 shares during the period. Calamos Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 9.4% in the 3rd quarter. Calamos Wealth Management LLC now owns 15,761 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,323,000 after acquiring an additional 1,351 shares in the last quarter. VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al boosted its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 3.6% during the 3rd quarter. VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al now owns 1,507,338 shares of the company’s stock worth $126,511,000 after acquiring an additional 52,100 shares during the last quarter. Shilanski & Associates Inc. bought a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $215,000. Finally, Sax Wealth Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 76.5% in the third quarter. Sax Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 29,338 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,462,000 after purchasing an additional 12,712 shares during 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 David Michael Williams sold 8,614 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $83.59, for a total value of $720,044.26. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 24,578 shares in the company, valued at $2,054,475.02. This trade represents a 25.95% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Company insiders own 0.09% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts recently commented on the stock. Scotiabank increased their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $105.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “sector outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, December 4th. Bank of America upped their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $105.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, December 15th. Wall Street Zen raised Merck & Co., Inc. from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Saturday, November 8th. Morgan Stanley upped their price target 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. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upgraded shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from $90.00 to $125.00 in a research note on Monday, November 24th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $110.13.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Down 0.5%

MRK stock opened at $106.07 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $263.27 billion, a PE ratio of 14.01, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 0.29. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $96.27 and a 200 day simple moving average of $87.52. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 52 week low of $73.31 and a 52 week high of $107.59. The company has a quick ratio of 1.44, a current ratio of 1.66 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77.

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%. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced 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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 15th. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.2%. This is a boost from Merck & Co., Inc.’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.81. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 44.91%.

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.