Mayflower Financial Advisors LLC Lowers Position in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK)

Mayflower Financial Advisors LLC trimmed its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 4.8% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 25,122 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,263 shares during the quarter. Mayflower Financial Advisors LLC’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $2,853,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in MRK. Legacy Capital Wealth Partners LLC grew its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 103.9% in the 3rd quarter. Legacy Capital Wealth Partners LLC now owns 16,463 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,870,000 after buying an additional 8,389 shares in the last quarter. Alan B Lancz & Associates Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.7% during the 3rd quarter. Alan B Lancz & Associates Inc. now owns 13,834 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,571,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. Costello Asset Management INC grew its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 8.6% in the third quarter. Costello Asset Management INC now owns 37,272 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,233,000 after acquiring an additional 2,947 shares in the last quarter. Privium Fund Management B.V. increased its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 37.2% in the third quarter. Privium Fund Management B.V. now owns 60,111 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,826,000 after acquiring an additional 16,314 shares during the last quarter. Finally, GSG Advisors LLC increased its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 14.4% in the third quarter. GSG Advisors LLC now owns 2,302 shares of the company’s stock valued at $264,000 after acquiring an additional 290 shares during the last quarter. 76.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:MRK opened at $102.92 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.47, a quick ratio of 1.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $110.74 and a 200-day moving average price of $120.03. The company has a market cap of $260.35 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.58, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.44 and a beta of 0.40. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 12 month low of $98.60 and a 12 month high of $134.63.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 31st. The company reported $1.57 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 return on equity of 37.32% and a net margin of 19.23%. The business’s revenue was up 4.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.13 EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 7.76 EPS for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on MRK shares. Citigroup dropped their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $140.00 to $130.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Wolfe Research upgraded Merck & Co., Inc. to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 31st. Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $155.00 price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Thursday, October 3rd. Barclays decreased their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $142.00 to $140.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, October 7th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $125.00 to $110.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, November 1st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and four have issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $130.86.

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.