ELM Advisors LLC maintained its position in shares of Merck & Company, Inc. (NYSE:MRK) during the second quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 11,309 shares of the company’s stock at the end of the second quarter. Merck & comprises about 0.6% of ELM Advisors LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 29th largest position. ELM Advisors LLC’s holdings in Merck & were worth $725,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.
Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Intellectus Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Merck & during the fourth quarter worth approximately $103,000. Vigilant Capital Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Merck & by 16.7% in the first quarter. Vigilant Capital Management LLC now owns 1,746 shares of the company’s stock worth $111,000 after buying an additional 250 shares during the period. Cascade Investment Advisors Inc. boosted its position in shares of Merck & by 15.5% in the second quarter. Cascade Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 1,727 shares of the company’s stock worth $111,000 after buying an additional 232 shares during the period. Harbour Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Merck & during the first quarter worth approximately $127,000. Finally, Gradient Investments LLC boosted its position in shares of Merck & by 41.3% in the first quarter. Gradient Investments LLC now owns 2,306 shares of the company’s stock worth $147,000 after buying an additional 674 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 73.80% of the company’s stock.
Shares of Merck & Company, Inc. (NYSE:MRK) opened at 62.57 on Tuesday. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $63.82 and its 200 day moving average price is $63.69. Merck & Company, Inc. has a 12 month low of $57.18 and a 12 month high of $66.80. The firm has a market cap of $171.14 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.88 and a beta of 0.81.
Merck & (NYSE:MRK) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, May 2nd. The company reported $0.88 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the Thomson Reuters’ consensus estimate of $0.83 by $0.05. Merck & had a return on equity of 24.99% and a net margin of 15.32%. The company had revenue of $9.43 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $9.25 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.89 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 1.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts predict that Merck & Company, Inc. will post $3.85 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.
The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, July 10th. Investors of record on Thursday, June 15th were issued a $0.47 dividend. This represents a $1.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.00%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, June 13th. Merck &’s dividend payout ratio is currently 85.84%.
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A number of brokerages recently commented on MRK. Credit Suisse Group set a $72.00 target price on Merck & and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, June 6th. BidaskClub cut Merck & from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 11th. BMO Capital Markets restated an “outperform” rating and set a $70.00 target price on shares of Merck & in a report on Sunday, April 23rd. Vetr cut Merck & from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $69.99 target price for the company. in a report on Wednesday, May 17th. Finally, Zacks Investment Research upgraded Merck & from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $72.00 target price for the company in a report on Wednesday, May 10th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and twelve have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Merck & presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $69.58.
In related news, Director C Robert Kidder sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $63.54, for a total value of $317,700.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 14,317 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $909,702.18. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.05% of the company’s stock.
About Merck &
Merck & Co, Inc is a global healthcare company. The Company offers health solutions through its prescription medicines, vaccines, biologic therapies and animal health products. It operates through four segments: Pharmaceutical, Animal Health, Healthcare Services and Alliances. The Company’s Pharmaceutical segment includes human health pharmaceutical and vaccine products marketed either directly by the Company or through joint ventures.
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