<div id="readability-page-1"><p>Merck &amp; Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) was the recipient of unusually large options trading on Thursday. Traders acquired 177,669 put options on the company. This represents an increase of approximately 341% compared to the average volume of 40,313 put options.</p><div><p><span></span><span>Get <strong>Merck &amp; Co., Inc.</strong> alerts:</span></p></div><h2>Merck &amp; Co., Inc. Trading Down 1.5 %</h2><ul><li>Merck: 4 No-Brainer Reasons to Buy This Dip </li></ul><p>Shares of MRK stock traded down $1.32 on Thursday, hitting $84.35. The stock had a trading volume of 20,375,205 shares, compared to its average volume of 14,421,404. The company's 50 day moving average price is $97.82 and its 200-day moving average price is $105.65. Merck &amp; Co., Inc. has a 1 year low of $84.31 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 firm has a market capitalization of $213.37 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.53, a P/E/G ratio of 0.83 and a beta of 0.38. </p><p>Merck &amp; Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The company reported $1.72 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.85 by ($0.13). The business had revenue of $15.62 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $15.51 billion. Merck &amp; Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 45.35% and a net margin of 26.67%. The business's revenue was up 6.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.03 EPS.  Analysts anticipate that  Merck &amp; Co., Inc. will post 9.01 earnings per share for the current year. </p><ul><li>Moderna Shares Spike on H5N1 News—What’s Next for Investors?</li></ul><p>Merck &amp; Co., Inc. announced that its board has authorized a share repurchase program on Tuesday, January 28th that authorizes the company to buyback $10.00 billion in  outstanding  shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the company to buy up to 4.1% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are typically an indication that the company's management believes its shares are undervalued. </p><h2>Merck &amp; Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement</h2><p>The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 7th. Investors of record on Monday, March 17th will be issued a $0.81 dividend. This represents a $3.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.84%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 17th. Merck &amp; Co., Inc.'s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 48.14%. </p><h2>Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth</h2><ul><li>MarketBeat Week in Review – 11/4 - 11/8</li></ul><p>Several research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Daiwa America cut shares of Merck &amp; Co., Inc. from a &#34;strong-buy&#34; rating to a &#34;hold&#34; rating in a research note on Monday, November 11th. TD Securities lowered Merck &amp; Co., Inc. from a &#34;buy&#34; rating to a &#34;hold&#34; rating and cut their price target for the company from $121.00 to $100.00 in a report on Monday. UBS Group decreased their price objective on Merck &amp; Co., Inc. from $125.00 to $120.00 and set a &#34;buy&#34; rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. Morgan Stanley cut their price objective on Merck &amp; Co., Inc. from $113.00 to $106.00 and set an &#34;equal weight&#34; rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets reduced their target price on shares of Merck &amp; Co., Inc. from $105.00 to $96.00 and set a &#34;market perform&#34; rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. One equities research analyst  has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued  a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and three have issued  a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Merck &amp; Co., Inc. presently has a consensus rating of &#34;Moderate Buy&#34; and an average target price of $117.06.</p><p><b>View Our Latest Report on MRK</b></p><h2>Insiders Place Their Bets</h2><p>In other news, Director Inge G. Thulin bought 2,833 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 6th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $88.25 per share, with a total value of $250,012.25. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now owns 2,933 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $258,837.25. This represents a 2,833.00 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities &amp; Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Cristal N. Downing sold 2,361 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $88.76, for a total value of $209,562.36. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 7,085 shares in the company, valued at $628,864.60. This trade represents a 24.99 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own  0.09% of the company's stock. </p><h2>Institutional Investors Weigh In On Merck &amp; Co., Inc.</h2><p>A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. E&amp;G Advisors LP raised its position in  Merck &amp; Co., Inc. by 0.7% in the 3rd quarter. E&amp;G Advisors LP now owns 14,698 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,669,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the last quarter.  Massachusetts Wealth Management increased its stake in  Merck &amp; Co., Inc. by 0.4% in the third quarter. Massachusetts Wealth Management now owns 22,474 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,552,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the period.  Shayne &amp; Jacobs LLC raised its holdings in shares of  Merck &amp; Co., Inc. by 1.8% in the third quarter. Shayne &amp; Jacobs LLC now owns 5,611 shares of the company's stock valued at $637,000 after buying an additional 100 shares during the last quarter.  Alan B Lancz &amp; Associates Inc. boosted its stake in shares of  Merck &amp; Co., Inc. by 0.7% during the third quarter. Alan B Lancz &amp; Associates Inc. now owns 13,834 shares of the company's stock worth $1,571,000 after buying an additional 100 shares during the period.  Finally, First Bank &amp; Trust boosted its stake in shares of  Merck &amp; Co., Inc. by 1.1% during the third quarter. First Bank &amp; Trust now owns 8,995 shares of the company's stock worth $1,021,000 after buying an additional 101 shares during the period. 76.07% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors. </p><h2>Merck &amp; Co., Inc. Company Profile</h2> (Get Free Report)<p>Merck &amp; 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.</p><h2>Read More</h2><ul><li>Five stocks we like better than Merck &amp; Co., Inc.</li><li>Learn Technical Analysis Skills to Master the Stock Market</li><li>Upstart’s Uptrend Is Just Getting Started: Its Time to Load Up</li><li>What Investors Need to Know to Beat the Market</li><li>Archer Aviation Lands BlackRock Investment—What’s Next for ACHR?</li><li>How to Invest in Blue Chip Stocks</li><li>Buffett Buys More Occidental Petroleum—Sticking to His Playbook</li></ul><p><em>This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.</em></p><h2>Where Should You Invest $1,000 Right Now?</h2><p>Before you make your next trade, you'll want to hear this.</p><p>MarketBeat keeps track of Wall Street's top-rated and best performing research analysts and the stocks they recommend to their clients on a daily basis.</p><p>Our team has identified the five stocks that top analysts are quietly whispering to their clients to buy now before the broader market catches on... and none of the big name stocks were on the list.</p><p>They believe these five stocks are the five best companies for investors to buy now...</p><p>See The Five Stocks Here </p><h2>Should You Invest $1,000 in Merck &amp; Co., Inc. Right Now?</h2><p>Before you consider Merck &amp; Co., Inc., you'll want to hear this.</p><p>MarketBeat keeps track of Wall Street's top-rated and best performing research analysts and the stocks they recommend to their clients on a daily basis. MarketBeat has identified the five stocks that top analysts are quietly whispering to their clients to buy now before the broader market catches on... and Merck &amp; Co., Inc. wasn't on the list.</p><p>While Merck &amp; Co., Inc. currently has a &#34;Moderate Buy&#34; rating among analysts, top-rated analysts believe these five stocks are better buys.</p><p>View The Five Stocks Here</p>                  </div>

<p>Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) experienced a significant surge in put options trading, with 177,669 options purchased, marking a 341% increase from the average daily volume. The stock price fell by 1.5% to $84.35, with a trading volume of over 20 million shares. Merck's recent quarterly earnings showed a revenue of $15.62 billion, slightly above estimates, but EPS missed expectations. The company also announced a $10 billion share repurchase program and a quarterly dividend of $0.81, reflecting confidence in its stock value.</p>

Traders Buy Large Volume of Put Options on Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK)