TFR Capital LLC. Has $485,000 Stock Holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

TFR Capital LLC. decreased its position in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 73.1% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 5,777 shares of the company’s stock after selling 15,693 shares during the quarter. TFR Capital LLC.’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $485,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of MRK. Brighton Jones LLC increased its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 29.5% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 38,278 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,808,000 after purchasing an additional 8,710 shares during the period. Sivia Capital Partners LLC grew its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 52.2% in the 2nd quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 11,494 shares of the company’s stock valued at $910,000 after buying an additional 3,941 shares during the last quarter. Instrumental Wealth LLC grew its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 4.6% in the 2nd quarter. Instrumental Wealth LLC now owns 3,206 shares of the company’s stock valued at $261,000 after buying an additional 141 shares during the last quarter. Patton Fund Management Inc. bought a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $242,000. Finally, Cove Private Wealth LLC acquired a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the second quarter worth approximately $451,000. 76.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Merck & Co., Inc. Trading Down 1.0%

Shares of MRK stock opened at $108.12 on Friday. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $103.94 and a 200-day moving average of $91.07. The stock has a market cap of $268.34 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.28, a P/E/G ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 0.29. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 52-week low of $73.31 and a 52-week high of $112.90. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 1.44 and a current ratio of 1.66.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, February 3rd. The company reported $1.94 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.08 by ($0.14). Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 29.63% and a return on equity of 44.54%. On average, equities research analysts forecast 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 disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 8th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 15th were paid a $0.85 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 15th. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.1%. This is an increase from Merck & Co., Inc.’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.81. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio is currently 44.91%.

Insider Activity

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

MRK has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $100.00 to $102.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, December 12th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, January 17th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $110.00 to $111.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 18th. Zacks Research lowered shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Friday, January 9th. Finally, Wolfe Research raised Merck & Co., Inc. from a “peer perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $135.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $114.20.

Merck & Co., Inc. Company 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.