Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) Holdings Reduced by First Financial Bank Trust Division

First Financial Bank Trust Division lessened its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 2.1% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 30,707 shares of the company’s stock after selling 663 shares during the period. First Financial Bank Trust Division’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $3,487,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Capital International Investors boosted its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.6% during the fourth quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 157,905 shares of the company’s stock valued at $17,181,000 after buying an additional 4,069 shares in the last quarter. Per Stirling Capital Management LLC. grew its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.4% in the 4th quarter. Per Stirling Capital Management LLC. now owns 3,691 shares of the company’s stock worth $402,000 after purchasing an additional 85 shares during the last quarter. Exencial Wealth Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 5.7% in the 4th quarter. Exencial Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 91,655 shares of the company’s stock worth $9,992,000 after purchasing an additional 4,909 shares in the last quarter. Pinnacle West Asset Management Inc. lifted its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.5% during the fourth quarter. Pinnacle West Asset Management Inc. now owns 9,525 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,038,000 after purchasing an additional 230 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Stephens Inc. AR boosted its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 6.1% during the fourth quarter. Stephens Inc. AR now owns 532,985 shares of the company’s stock worth $58,106,000 after buying an additional 30,527 shares in the last quarter. 76.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Down 2.4 %

Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. stock opened at $112.03 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $283.75 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 124.48, a P/E/G ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 0.39. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80, a current ratio of 1.47 and a quick ratio of 1.22. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 52-week low of $99.14 and a 52-week high of $134.63. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $115.99 and a 200-day simple moving average of $123.84.

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

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared 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 2.75%. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio is 342.22%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on MRK. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $140.00 to $125.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, July 31st. Barclays decreased their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $145.00 to $142.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, July 31st. Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $155.00 price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Monday, September 16th. Argus upgraded Merck & Co., Inc. to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 5th. Finally, Bank of America decreased their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $150.00 to $145.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, July 31st. One 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 MarketBeat.com, Merck & Co., Inc. presently has an average 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.