1,534 Shares in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) Acquired by RHS Financial LLC

RHS Financial LLC purchased a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund purchased 1,534 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $202,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Algert Global LLC acquired a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the 3rd quarter valued at $454,000. Axxcess Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 77.2% in the third quarter. Axxcess Wealth Management LLC now owns 51,757 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,328,000 after acquiring an additional 22,546 shares in the last quarter. AXQ Capital LP purchased a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the third quarter worth about $1,421,000. Eubel Brady & Suttman Asset Management Inc. increased its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.3% during the third quarter. Eubel Brady & Suttman Asset Management Inc. now owns 4,652 shares of the company’s stock worth $479,000 after purchasing an additional 105 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Legacy Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 42.1% in the 3rd quarter. Legacy Advisors LLC now owns 19,569 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,025,000 after purchasing an additional 5,795 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.07% of the company’s stock.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Performance

NYSE MRK opened at $127.90 on Tuesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $323.95 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 142.11, a PEG ratio of 2.39 and a beta of 0.38. The business’s 50 day moving average is $129.32 and its two-hundred day moving average is $124.39. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 12-month low of $99.14 and a 12-month high of $134.63. The company has a current ratio of 1.25, a quick ratio of 0.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 25th. The company reported $2.07 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.94 by $0.13. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 14.05% and a net margin of 3.76%. The firm had revenue of $15.78 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $15.21 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.40 earnings per share. Merck & Co., Inc.’s revenue was up 8.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts expect that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 8.62 EPS for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, July 8th. Investors of record on Monday, June 17th will be paid a $0.77 dividend. This represents a $3.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.41%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 17th. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 342.22%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have commented on the company. Truist Financial lifted their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $142.00 to $143.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, April 26th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $130.00 to $135.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 27th. Berenberg Bank increased their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $140.00 to $143.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, April 8th. TheStreet lowered shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “b+” rating to a “c+” rating in a research note on Monday, March 4th. Finally, Societe Generale downgraded shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating and set a $104.00 target price for the company. in a research note on Monday, March 11th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Merck & Co., Inc. presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $133.00.

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.