Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) is Radnor Capital Management LLC’s Largest Position

Radnor Capital Management LLC lessened its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 1.8% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 520,766 shares of the company’s stock after selling 9,744 shares during the period. Merck & Co., Inc. accounts for approximately 8.7% of Radnor Capital Management LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its biggest position. Radnor Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $51,806,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Edgestream Partners L.P. purchased a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. in the second quarter worth approximately $1,207,000. E Fund Management Co. Ltd. grew its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 10.6% during the 2nd quarter. E Fund Management Co. Ltd. now owns 17,090 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,116,000 after purchasing an additional 1,641 shares during the period. Meridian Wealth Partners LLC increased its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 8.2% during the 2nd quarter. Meridian Wealth Partners LLC now owns 2,905 shares of the company’s stock worth $360,000 after purchasing an additional 221 shares during the last quarter. True Vision MN LLC purchased a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. in the 2nd quarter valued at about $436,000. Finally, Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV raised its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.5% in the 2nd quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV now owns 764,343 shares of the company’s stock valued at $94,626,000 after buying an additional 18,856 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.07% of the company’s stock.

Merck & Co., Inc. Trading Up 0.6 %

Shares of NYSE:MRK opened at $100.20 on Thursday. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 52 week low of $94.48 and a 52 week high of $134.63. The company’s 50 day moving average is $100.13 and its two-hundred day moving average is $110.19. The company has a market cap of $253.47 billion, a PE ratio of 21.01, a P/E/G ratio of 1.47 and a beta of 0.39. The company has a current ratio of 1.36, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.79.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The company reported $1.57 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.50 by $0.07. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 19.23% and a return on equity of 36.42%. The firm had revenue of $16.66 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $16.47 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $2.13 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 4.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts predict that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 7.73 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 8th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 16th were given a dividend of $0.81 per share. This represents a $3.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.23%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 16th. This is a positive change from Merck & Co., Inc.’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.77. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 67.92%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on MRK shares. BMO Capital Markets cut shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating and dropped their price target for the company from $136.00 to $105.00 in a research report on Friday, December 20th. Guggenheim dropped their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $137.00 to $130.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, November 6th. Sanford C. Bernstein started coverage on Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. They set a “market perform” rating and a $115.00 price target on the stock. Daiwa Capital Markets cut Merck & Co., Inc. from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, November 11th. Finally, Barclays cut their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $142.00 to $140.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, October 7th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and four have given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $123.67.

Merck & Co., Inc. Company Profile

Merck & Co, Inc is a health care company, which engages in the provision of health solutions through its prescription medicines, vaccines, biologic therapies, animal health, and consumer care products. It operates through the following segments: Pharmaceutical, Animal Health, and Other. The Pharmaceutical segment includes human health pharmaceutical and vaccine products.