Fulton Bank N.A. Has $7.11 Million Stake in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK)

Fulton Bank N.A. lessened its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 0.7% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 71,424 shares of the company’s stock after selling 513 shares during the period. Fulton Bank N.A.’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $7,105,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Strategic Financial Concepts LLC lifted its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 1,475.6% during the second quarter. Strategic Financial Concepts LLC now owns 35,057 shares of the company’s stock worth $43,000 after acquiring an additional 32,832 shares during the period. Lane & Associates LLC increased its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 5.9% in the second quarter. Lane & Associates LLC now owns 3,246 shares of the company’s stock worth $402,000 after purchasing an additional 180 shares during the last quarter. LGT Fund Management Co Ltd. increased its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 326.3% in the 2nd quarter. LGT Fund Management Co Ltd. now owns 88,734 shares of the company’s stock worth $10,985,000 after buying an additional 67,918 shares during the last quarter. Royal London Asset Management Ltd. increased its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 4.5% in the second quarter. Royal London Asset Management Ltd. now owns 1,193,981 shares of the company’s stock valued at $147,815,000 after acquiring an additional 51,198 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Andra AP fonden raised its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 29.9% during the 2nd quarter. Andra AP fonden now owns 307,300 shares of the company’s stock valued at $38,044,000 after buying an additional 70,800 shares in the last quarter. 76.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Down 1.7 %

MRK traded down $1.70 on Wednesday, hitting $99.32. The company had a trading volume of 4,061,308 shares, compared to its average volume of 7,402,787. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $100.39 and a 200-day moving average price of $111.26. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 12-month low of $94.48 and a 12-month high of $134.63. The stock has a market capitalization of $251.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.82, a P/E/G ratio of 1.47 and a beta of 0.39. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.79, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a current ratio of 1.36.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last released 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. The business had revenue of $16.66 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $16.47 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 19.23% and a return on equity of 36.42%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 4.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $2.13 earnings per share. Analysts predict that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 7.73 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 8th. Investors of record on Monday, December 16th will be paid a dividend of $0.81 per share. This represents a $3.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.26%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 16th. This is an increase from Merck & Co., Inc.’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.77. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 67.92%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on MRK shares. Daiwa Capital Markets lowered Merck & Co., Inc. from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, November 11th. Bank of America reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $121.00 target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. BMO Capital Markets cut shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating and cut their price objective for the stock from $136.00 to $105.00 in a report on Friday, December 20th. Hsbc Global Res upgraded Merck & Co., Inc. from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 4th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $155.00 price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Thursday, October 3rd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and four have issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Merck & Co., Inc. currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $124.00.

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.