Merck & Company, Inc. (MRK) Stake Boosted by Virginia Retirement Systems ET AL

Virginia Retirement Systems ET AL increased its position in Merck & Company, Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 14.5% during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 848,394 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 107,500 shares during the period. Merck & accounts for about 0.7% of Virginia Retirement Systems ET AL’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 22nd largest position. Virginia Retirement Systems ET AL’s holdings in Merck & were worth $53,907,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Intellectus Partners LLC bought 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 last quarter. 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 last quarter. Pinnacle Bank bought a new position in shares of Merck & during the first quarter worth approximately $152,000. Finally, Tortoise Investment Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Merck & by 50.6% in the fourth quarter. Tortoise Investment Management LLC now owns 2,678 shares of the company’s stock worth $158,000 after buying an additional 900 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 73.68% of the company’s stock.

Shares of Merck & Company, Inc. (NYSE MRK) opened at 63.52 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $173.74 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.39 and a beta of 0.80. Merck & Company, Inc. has a 52 week low of $57.18 and a 52 week high of $66.80. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $63.65 and its 200-day moving average price is $63.78.

Merck & (NYSE:MRK) last issued its earnings results on Friday, July 28th. The company reported $1.01 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.87 by $0.14. The company had revenue of $9.93 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $9.75 billion. Merck & had a return on equity of 25.75% and a net margin of 17.14%. Merck &’s quarterly revenue was up .9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.93 EPS. Equities analysts predict that Merck & Company, Inc. will post $3.87 earnings per share for the current year.

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, October 6th. Investors of record on Friday, September 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.47 per share. This represents a $1.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.96%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, September 14th. Merck &’s dividend payout ratio is presently 76.11%.

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A number of brokerages recently commented on MRK. Credit Suisse Group set a $72.00 price target on Merck & and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 6th. BidaskClub cut Merck & from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 11th. BMO Capital Markets restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $70.00 price target on shares of Merck & in a research report on Sunday, April 23rd. Vetr cut Merck & from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $69.99 price target on the stock. in a research report on Wednesday, May 17th. Finally, Zacks Investment Research upgraded Merck & from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $72.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, May 10th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Merck & has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $69.80.

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 transaction of $317,700.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 14,317 shares in the company, valued at approximately $909,702.18. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 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.