Financial Partners Group LLC Has $3.01 Million Stock Holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK)

Financial Partners Group LLC trimmed its position in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 0.7% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 30,260 shares of the company’s stock after selling 205 shares during the period. Merck & Co., Inc. makes up 1.3% of Financial Partners Group LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 23rd biggest holding. Financial Partners Group LLC’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $3,010,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Cornerstone Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 3.9% during the 4th quarter. Cornerstone Wealth Management LLC now owns 22,102 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,199,000 after purchasing an additional 821 shares in the last quarter. Brighton Jones LLC grew its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 29.5% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 38,278 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,808,000 after purchasing an additional 8,710 shares in the last quarter. Hengehold Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.3% during the 4th quarter. Hengehold Capital Management LLC now owns 39,989 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,978,000 after purchasing an additional 112 shares in the last quarter. Montecito Bank & Trust grew its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 8.8% during the 4th quarter. Montecito Bank & Trust now owns 29,592 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,944,000 after purchasing an additional 2,386 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Cerro Pacific Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 14.0% during the 4th quarter. Cerro Pacific Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 6,666 shares of the company’s stock worth $663,000 after purchasing an additional 818 shares in the last quarter. 76.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Merck & Co., Inc. Price Performance

Shares of MRK opened at $95.54 on Friday. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 1 year low of $94.48 and a 1 year high of $134.63. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.79, a current ratio of 1.36 and a quick ratio of 1.15. The company has a market capitalization of $241.69 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.03, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.13 and a beta of 0.39. The business has a 50-day moving average of $99.81 and a 200-day moving average of $109.02.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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 return on equity of 36.42% and a net margin of 19.23%. The company had revenue of $16.66 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $16.47 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $2.13 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 4.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 7.67 earnings per share for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 8th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 16th were given a dividend of $0.81 per share. This represents a $3.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.39%. This is an increase from Merck & Co., Inc.’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.77. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 16th. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 67.92%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MRK has been the topic of several analyst reports. Morgan Stanley reduced their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $123.00 to $113.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on 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. Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $155.00 price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Thursday, October 3rd. Guggenheim reduced their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $137.00 to $130.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, November 6th. Finally, Hsbc Global Res raised Merck & Co., Inc. from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 4th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and four have issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $123.00.

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.