Eagle Rock Investment Company LLC Sells 1,036 Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK)

Eagle Rock Investment Company LLC decreased its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 1.9% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 53,636 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,036 shares during the period. Merck & Co., Inc. accounts for about 1.3% of Eagle Rock Investment Company LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 21st largest holding. Eagle Rock Investment Company LLC’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $7,077,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of MRK. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the 4th quarter worth about $27,000. Bare Financial Services Inc bought a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the 4th quarter worth about $28,000. Burkett Financial Services LLC bought a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the 4th quarter worth about $28,000. Rakuten Securities Inc. bought a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. in the 4th quarter valued at about $30,000. Finally, RIA Advisory Group LLC bought a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. in the 4th quarter valued at about $30,000. Institutional investors own 76.07% of the company’s stock.

Merck & Co., Inc. Price Performance

MRK stock remained flat at $132.96 during trading on Tuesday. 6,758,253 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 8,113,445. The business’s fifty day moving average is $129.15 and its 200-day moving average is $123.90. The company has a market capitalization of $336.76 billion, a P/E ratio of 147.73, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.53 and a beta of 0.39. Merck & Co., Inc. has a twelve month low of $99.14 and a twelve month high of $134.63. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77, a current ratio of 1.25 and a quick ratio of 0.99.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 25th. The company reported $2.07 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.94 by $0.13. The business had revenue of $15.78 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $15.21 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 3.76% and a return on equity of 14.05%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 8.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.40 EPS. On average, analysts forecast that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 8.62 EPS for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, July 8th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 17th will be issued a dividend of $0.77 per share. This represents a $3.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.32%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 17th. Merck & Co., Inc.’s payout ratio is 342.22%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have issued reports on MRK shares. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $130.00 to $135.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 27th. Societe Generale downgraded shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating and set a $104.00 price objective for the company. in a report on Monday, March 11th. Argus raised shares of Merck & Co., Inc. to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, June 5th. Truist Financial boosted their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $142.00 to $143.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, April 26th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $155.00 price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Tuesday, June 18th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Merck & Co., Inc. has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $133.00.

Merck & Co., Inc. Company Profile

Merck & Co, Inc operates as a healthcare company worldwide. It operates through two segments, Pharmaceutical and Animal Health. The Pharmaceutical segment offers human health pharmaceutical products in the areas of oncology, hospital acute care, immunology, neuroscience, virology, cardiovascular, and diabetes under the Keytruda, Bridion, Adempas, Lagevrio, Belsomra, Simponi, and Januvia brands, as well as vaccine products consisting of preventive pediatric, adolescent, and adult vaccines under the Gardasil/Gardasil 9, ProQuad, M-M-R II, Varivax, RotaTeq, Live Oral, Vaxneuvance, Pneumovax 23, and Vaqta names.