Executive Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 56.1% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 103,084 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 37,059 shares during the period. Merck & Co., Inc. makes up about 1.5% of Executive Wealth Management LLC's holdings, making the stock its 18th largest holding. Executive Wealth Management LLC's holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $11,706,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.
Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. acquired a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. during the 2nd quarter worth $39,000. Abich Financial Wealth Management LLC grew its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 121.8% during the second quarter. Abich Financial Wealth Management LLC now owns 326 shares of the company's stock worth $40,000 after buying an additional 179 shares in the last quarter. Quarry LP purchased a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the second quarter worth approximately $42,000. Strategic Financial Concepts LLC raised its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 1,475.6% in the second quarter. Strategic Financial Concepts LLC now owns 35,057 shares of the company's stock valued at $43,000 after acquiring an additional 32,832 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Mowery & Schoenfeld Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 47.5% in the third quarter. Mowery & Schoenfeld Wealth Management LLC now owns 379 shares of the company's stock worth $43,000 after acquiring an additional 122 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.07% of the company's stock.
Shares of NYSE MRK opened at $102.92 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.22, a current ratio of 1.47 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 12 month low of $98.60 and a 12 month high of $134.63. The company has a market cap of $260.68 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.58, a P/E/G ratio of 1.44 and a beta of 0.40. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $110.74 and a 200-day simple moving average of $120.03.
Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The company reported $1.57 earnings per share (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 37.32%. The business had revenue of $16.66 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $16.47 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.13 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was up 4.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts predict that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 7.76 EPS for the current year.
Several research firms have recently issued reports on MRK. Guggenheim lowered their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $137.00 to $130.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $125.00 to $110.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, November 1st. UBS Group cut their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $142.00 to $136.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, October 9th. Cantor Fitzgerald restated an "overweight" rating and issued a $155.00 target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Thursday, October 3rd. Finally, Wolfe Research upgraded shares of Merck & Co., Inc. to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 31st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and four have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Merck & Co., Inc. currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $129.80.
View Our Latest Stock Analysis on MRK
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.
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