Handelsinvest Investeringsforvaltning Sells 2,943 Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK)

Handelsinvest Investeringsforvaltning reduced its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 15.3% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 16,284 shares of the company’s stock after selling 2,943 shares during the period. Merck & Co., Inc. accounts for approximately 1.0% of Handelsinvest Investeringsforvaltning’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 14th biggest position. Handelsinvest Investeringsforvaltning’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $2,149,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also bought and sold shares of MRK. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC bought a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. during the 4th quarter worth $27,000. Bare Financial Services Inc bought a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. during the 4th quarter worth $28,000. Burkett Financial Services LLC bought a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. during the 4th quarter worth $28,000. Rakuten Securities Inc. bought a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. during the 4th quarter worth $30,000. Finally, RIA Advisory Group LLC bought a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. during the 4th quarter worth $30,000. 76.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Performance

Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. stock opened at $125.85 on Thursday. Merck & Co., Inc. has a one year low of $99.14 and a one year high of $134.63. The firm has a market capitalization of $318.75 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 139.83, a PEG ratio of 2.47 and a beta of 0.38. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $129.36 and a 200 day simple moving average of $124.70. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77, a current ratio of 1.25 and a quick ratio of 0.99.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 25th. The company reported $2.07 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.94 by $0.13. The firm had revenue of $15.78 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $15.21 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 14.05% and a net margin of 3.76%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.40 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 8.62 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, July 8th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 17th will be issued a dividend of $0.77 per share. This represents a $3.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.45%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 17th. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio is currently 342.22%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have weighed in on MRK. Societe Generale downgraded Merck & Co., Inc. from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating and set a $104.00 price target for the company. in a report on Monday, March 11th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $130.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 27th. Truist Financial increased their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $142.00 to $143.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, April 26th. Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $155.00 price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Tuesday, June 18th. Finally, Argus upgraded Merck & Co., Inc. to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, June 5th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating, eight have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Merck & Co., Inc. presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average 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.