United Bank Inc. Acquires 1,754 Shares of Merck & Company, Inc. (MRK)

United Bank Inc. raised its position in Merck & Company, Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 2.6% during the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 69,564 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 1,754 shares during the period. Merck & accounts for approximately 1.9% of United Bank Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 17th largest position. United Bank Inc.’s holdings in Merck & were worth $4,458,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Diligent Investors LLC acquired a new position in Merck & during the fourth quarter worth about $1,720,000. Charlemagne Capital Ltd. raised its position in Merck & by 26.1% in the fourth quarter. Charlemagne Capital Ltd. now owns 5,412 shares of the company’s stock worth $318,000 after buying an additional 1,120 shares in the last quarter. Pacad Investment Ltd. acquired a new position in Merck & during the fourth quarter worth about $4,426,000. Cim Investment Mangement Inc. raised its position in Merck & by 1.1% in the fourth quarter. Cim Investment Mangement Inc. now owns 20,771 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,223,000 after buying an additional 221 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Employees Retirement System of Texas raised its position in Merck & by 4.0% in the fourth quarter. Employees Retirement System of Texas now owns 581,900 shares of the company’s stock worth $34,256,000 after buying an additional 22,200 shares in the last quarter. 73.80% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Shares of Merck & Company, Inc. (MRK) opened at 62.57 on Tuesday. Merck & Company, Inc. has a 52 week low of $57.18 and a 52 week high of $66.80. The firm has a market cap of $171.14 billion, a PE ratio of 39.88 and a beta of 0.81. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $63.82 and its 200-day moving average is $63.69.

Merck & (NYSE:MRK) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 2nd. The company reported $0.88 EPS 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 business had revenue of $9.43 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $9.25 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.89 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 1.3% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts predict that Merck & Company, Inc. will post $3.85 EPS for the current fiscal year.

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, July 10th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, June 15th were paid a dividend of $0.47 per share. This represents a $1.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.00%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, June 13th. Merck &’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 85.84%.

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A number of equities analysts have issued reports on MRK shares. HSBC Holdings plc lowered shares of Merck & from a “hold” rating to a “reduce” rating in a research report on Friday, April 7th. Cowen and Company reissued a “market perform” rating and set a $68.00 price target on shares of Merck & in a research report on Tuesday, April 11th. Jefferies Group LLC reissued an “underperform” rating and set a $51.00 price target (down from $52.00) on shares of Merck & in a research report on Saturday, April 22nd. BMO Capital Markets reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $70.00 price target on shares of Merck & in a research report on Sunday, April 23rd. Finally, Zacks Investment Research raised shares of Merck & from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $72.00 price target for the company in a research report on Wednesday, May 10th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and twelve have assigned a buy rating to the company. The stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $69.58.

In other news, Director C Robert Kidder sold 5,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $63.54, for a total transaction of $317,700.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 14,317 shares in the company, valued at $909,702.18. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 0.05% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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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