Core Wealth Advisors Inc. Has $2.37 Million Position in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK)

Core Wealth Advisors Inc. trimmed its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 5.6% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 19,108 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,138 shares during the quarter. Merck & Co., Inc. makes up about 0.8% of Core Wealth Advisors Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 21st largest holding. Core Wealth Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $2,366,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Smith Thornton Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. in the 2nd quarter worth about $545,000. Scientech Research LLC bought a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the second quarter worth about $1,789,000. Lighthouse Investment Partners LLC increased its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 366.2% in the second quarter. Lighthouse Investment Partners LLC now owns 177,946 shares of the company’s stock valued at $22,030,000 after buying an additional 139,779 shares during the period. Mackenzie Financial Corp increased its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 6.9% in the second quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp now owns 2,339,106 shares of the company’s stock valued at $289,581,000 after buying an additional 149,979 shares during the period. Finally, The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company raised its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.4% in the 2nd quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 5,006,720 shares of the company’s stock valued at $619,832,000 after buying an additional 119,684 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 76.07% of the company’s stock.

Merck & Co., Inc. Price Performance

Shares of MRK opened at $113.69 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $287.95 billion, a PE ratio of 126.32, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 0.39. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 52-week low of $99.14 and a 52-week high of $134.63. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $116.70 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $123.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80, a quick ratio of 1.22 and a current ratio of 1.47.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 30th. The company reported $2.28 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.16 by $0.12. The company had revenue of $16.10 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $15.87 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 21.99% and a return on equity of 40.69%. Merck & Co., Inc.’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted ($2.06) EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 8.01 EPS for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, October 7th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 16th will be issued a dividend of $0.77 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 16th. This represents a $3.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.71%. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio is currently 342.22%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MRK has been the topic of a number of research reports. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $132.00 to $134.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, July 11th. Barclays reduced their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $145.00 to $142.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, July 31st. Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $155.00 target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Monday, September 16th. Bank of America cut their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $150.00 to $145.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, July 31st. Finally, UBS Group decreased their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $148.00 to $142.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, July 31st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and four have issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $134.58.

Merck & Co., Inc. Company Profile

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.