Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) Shares Purchased by Aurora Private Wealth Inc.

28 Dec 2023, 17:04 by Mitch Edgeman · The Markets Daily

Aurora Private Wealth Inc. raised its position in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK – Free Report) by 1.8% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 10,651 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 185 shares during the period. Merck & Co., Inc. comprises about 1.2% of Aurora Private Wealth Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 20th largest holding. Aurora Private Wealth Inc.’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $1,097,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of MRK. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich lifted its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 102,675.5% in the second quarter. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich now owns 1,860,147,936 shares of the company’s stock worth $214,642,470,000 after buying an additional 1,858,338,022 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp grew its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 1.9% during the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 118,562,086 shares of the company’s stock valued at $13,766,428,000 after acquiring an additional 2,174,829 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 10.6% in the 1st quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 68,563,817 shares of the company’s stock valued at $7,294,504,000 after acquiring an additional 6,546,946 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.9% in the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 52,723,457 shares of the company’s stock worth $6,068,750,000 after purchasing an additional 1,504,701 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Morgan Stanley boosted its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 10.6% during the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 41,850,081 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,643,267,000 after purchasing an additional 4,000,816 shares during the last quarter. 74.59% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts recently commented on the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft started coverage on Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Thursday, November 9th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $115.00 price target for the company. TheStreet upgraded Merck & Co., Inc. from a “c+” rating to a “b” rating in a report on Monday, November 27th. Cantor Fitzgerald restated an “overweight” rating on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Monday, December 18th. StockNews.com began coverage on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Thursday, October 5th. They issued a “buy” rating on the stock. Finally, UBS Group raised shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price target for the company from $117.00 to $122.00 in a research note on Friday, October 20th. Five investment 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 company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $125.14.

Check Out Our Latest Analysis on Merck & Co., Inc.

Insider Buying and Selling at Merck & Co., Inc.

In related news, insider Johannes Jacobus Oosthuizen sold 2,081 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, November 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $102.38, for a total value of $213,052.78. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 18,191 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,862,394.58. The sale 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 on Wednesday, November 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $105.03, for a total value of $4,602,729.69. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 111,764 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $11,738,572.92. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Johannes Jacobus Oosthuizen sold 2,081 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, November 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $102.38, for a total transaction of $213,052.78. Following the sale, the insider now owns 18,191 shares in the company, valued at $1,862,394.58. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.20% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Performance

NYSE:MRK opened at $107.99 on Thursday. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 12 month low of $96.36 and a 12 month high of $119.65. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.82, a current ratio of 1.38 and a quick ratio of 1.12. The firm has a market capitalization of $273.65 billion, a PE ratio of 59.99, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 9.11 and a beta of 0.34. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $103.76 and its 200 day moving average price is $106.44.

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 for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.94 by $0.19. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 7.77% and a return on equity of 18.26%. The firm had revenue of $16 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $15.30 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.85 earnings per share. Merck & Co., Inc.’s quarterly revenue was up 7.0% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate 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 disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 8th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 15th will be paid a $0.77 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, December 14th. This is a positive change from Merck & Co., Inc.’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.73. This represents a $3.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.85%. Merck & Co., Inc.’s payout ratio is currently 171.11%.

About Merck & Co., Inc.

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