Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) Shares Acquired by Daymark Wealth Partners LLC
Daymark Wealth Partners LLC grew its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK – Free Report) by 143.6% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 205,373 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 121,079 shares during the period. Merck & Co., Inc. accounts for 1.1% of Daymark Wealth Partners LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 25th largest holding. Daymark Wealth Partners LLC’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $21,143,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Amplius Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 9.1% in the 2nd quarter. Amplius Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 4,046 shares of the company’s stock valued at $467,000 after buying an additional 336 shares in the last quarter. Peddock Capital Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 8.3% during the 2nd quarter. Peddock Capital Advisors LLC now owns 16,794 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,938,000 after purchasing an additional 1,286 shares during the period. Calamos Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 1.5% during the 2nd quarter. Calamos Wealth Management LLC now owns 19,388 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,237,000 after purchasing an additional 286 shares during the period. Juncture Wealth Strategies LLC acquired a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. during the 2nd quarter worth $203,000. Finally, Fort Sheridan Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 32.5% during the 1st quarter. Fort Sheridan Advisors LLC now owns 80,366 shares of the company’s stock worth $8,550,000 after purchasing an additional 19,697 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.59% of the company’s stock.
Insider Buying and Selling at Merck & Co., Inc.
In other Merck & Co., Inc. news, EVP Richard R. Deluca sold 43,823 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $105.03, for a total transaction of $4,602,729.69. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 111,764 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,738,572.92. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other Merck & Co., Inc. news, EVP Richard R. Deluca sold 43,823 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $105.03, for a total transaction of $4,602,729.69. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 111,764 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,738,572.92. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Johannes Jacobus Oosthuizen sold 2,081 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, November 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $102.38, for a total transaction of $213,052.78. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 18,191 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,862,394.58. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.20% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.
Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades
A number of analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $135.00 price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Wednesday, November 29th. UBS Group upgraded shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price target for the stock from $117.00 to $122.00 in a research note on Friday, October 20th. Truist Financial reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $122.00 price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Friday, October 6th. BMO Capital Markets upgraded shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $132.00 price target for the company in a research note on Friday, October 27th. Finally, TheStreet upgraded shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “c+” rating to a “b” rating in a research note on Monday, November 27th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seventeen have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $125.14.
Check Out Our Latest Analysis on MRK
Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Performance
Shares of MRK opened at $105.64 on Friday. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $103.25 and a 200-day simple moving average of $106.67. The company has a quick ratio of 1.12, a current ratio of 1.38 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.82. The company has a market capitalization of $267.69 billion, a PE ratio of 58.69, a P/E/G ratio of 9.03 and a beta of 0.34. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 52-week low of $96.36 and a 52-week high of $119.65.
Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK – Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 26th. The company reported $2.13 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.94 by $0.19. The business had revenue of $16 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $15.30 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 7.77% and a return on equity of 18.26%. The business’s revenue was up 7.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.85 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 1.37 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.
Merck & Co., Inc. Increases Dividend
The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 8th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.77 per share. This is an increase from Merck & Co., Inc.’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.73. This represents a $3.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.92%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, December 14th. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 162.22%.
About Merck & Co., Inc. (Free Report)
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, as well as vaccine products, such as preventive pediatric, adolescent, and adult vaccines.
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Original: MarketBeat News Feed: Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) Shares Acquired by Daymark Wealth Partners LLC