Delta Lloyd NV lowered its stake in Merck & Company, Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 3.0% during the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 675,762 shares of the company’s stock after selling 20,839 shares during the period. Merck & accounts for about 1.2% of Delta Lloyd NV’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 15th largest position. Delta Lloyd NV’s holdings in Merck & were worth $42,120,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.
A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. AQR Capital Management LLC raised its position in Merck & by 28.6% in the fourth quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 6,584,741 shares of the company’s stock valued at $387,643,000 after buying an additional 1,463,634 shares during the last quarter. Guggenheim Capital LLC increased its stake in shares of Merck & by 20.0% in the fourth quarter. Guggenheim Capital LLC now owns 1,453,817 shares of the company’s stock valued at $85,587,000 after buying an additional 242,679 shares during the period. Banco Santander S.A. bought a new stake in shares of Merck & during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $10,758,000. Focused Wealth Management Inc increased its stake in shares of Merck & by 28.0% in the fourth quarter. Focused Wealth Management Inc now owns 9,575 shares of the company’s stock valued at $564,000 after buying an additional 2,094 shares during the period. Finally, Foresters Asset Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Merck & during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $683,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 73.46% of the company’s stock.
Shares of Merck & Company, Inc. (NYSE MRK) opened at 61.84 on Friday. Merck & Company, Inc. has a 52-week low of $58.29 and a 52-week high of $66.80. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $62.99 and its 200 day moving average price is $63.83. The stock has a market capitalization of $168.66 billion, a PE ratio of 33.48 and a beta of 0.80.
Merck & (NYSE:MRK) last announced its earnings results on Friday, July 28th. The company reported $1.01 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the Thomson Reuters’ consensus estimate of $0.87 by $0.14. The firm had revenue of $9.93 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $9.75 billion. Merck & had a return on equity of 26.02% and a net margin of 17.14%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up .9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.93 EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Merck & Company, Inc. will post $3.87 EPS for the current year.
The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, October 6th. Stockholders of record on Friday, September 15th will be paid a $0.47 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, September 14th. This represents a $1.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.04%. Merck &’s payout ratio is 76.11%.
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MRK has been the subject of several research reports. 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. Vetr downgraded shares of Merck & from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $69.99 price target for the company. in a research report on Wednesday, May 17th. BMO Capital Markets reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $74.00 price objective on shares of Merck & in a report on Tuesday, June 6th. Credit Suisse Group set a $72.00 price objective on shares of Merck & and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, June 6th. Finally, Piper Jaffray Companies set a $70.00 target price on Merck & and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, July 29th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating and twelve have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. The stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $69.58.
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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