Apella Capital LLC Has $707,000 Stock Holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK)

Apella Capital LLC increased its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK – Get Rating) by 36.5% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 6,374 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 1,705 shares during the period. Apella Capital LLC’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $707,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in MRK. Legend Financial Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the 3rd quarter valued at $27,000. EdgeRock Capital LLC bought a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the 3rd quarter valued at $30,000. Mach 1 Financial Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the 3rd quarter valued at $30,000. New Millennium Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the 2nd quarter valued at $35,000. Finally, Horizons Wealth Management bought a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. during the 2nd quarter valued at $42,000. 72.89% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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

In other Merck & Co., Inc. news, EVP Steven Mizell sold 4,436 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $104.25, for a total transaction of $462,453.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 39,900 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,159,575. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. In other news, insider Joseph Romanelli sold 5,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $108.22, for a total transaction of $541,100.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 20,284 shares in the company, valued at $2,195,134.48. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Steven Mizell sold 4,436 shares of Merck & Co., Inc. stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $104.25, for a total value of $462,453.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 39,900 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,159,575. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 100,245 shares of company stock valued at $11,168,256. 0.29% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Performance

NYSE:MRK opened at $104.10 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $264.27 billion, a PE ratio of 18.23, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.95 and a beta of 0.34. Merck & Co., Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $78.63 and a fifty-two week high of $115.49. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62, a quick ratio of 1.23 and a current ratio of 1.47. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $108.19 and a 200-day moving average price of $102.15.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK – Get Rating) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 2nd. The company reported $1.62 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.56 by $0.06. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 43.47% and a net margin of 24.49%. The company had revenue of $13.83 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $13.66 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.80 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 2.3% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts predict that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 6.88 earnings per share for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 10th. Investors of record on Wednesday, March 15th will be paid a $0.73 dividend. This represents a $2.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.80%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 14th. Merck & Co., Inc.’s payout ratio is 51.14%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have commented on the stock. Credit Suisse Group boosted their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $125.00 to $126.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 7th. Berenberg Bank lifted their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $125.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, March 10th. Wells Fargo & Company downgraded shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and cut their price objective for the stock from $120.00 to $115.00 in a report on Monday, March 13th. StockNews.com initiated coverage on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Thursday. They set a “buy” rating on the stock. Finally, SVB Leerink boosted their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $120.00 to $122.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, February 3rd. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $119.35.

About Merck & Co., Inc.

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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.