Dividend Stock Portfolio: 5 Stock Picks By Hedge Funds

In this article, we will be taking a look at 5 stock picks by hedge funds. To read our detailed analysis of dividend investing, you can go directly to see the Dividend Stock Portfolio: 10 Stock Picks By Hedge Funds.

5. Merck & Company, Inc. (NYSE:MRK)

Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 79

Dividend Yield: 3.1%

Merck & Company, Inc. (NYSE:MRK) is a pharmaceuticals company operating through its Animal Health and Pharmaceuticals segments. The company ranks 5th on our list of stock picks by hedge funds and is based in New Jersey. It also serves drug wholesalers and retailers, hospitals, and government agencies alongside managed health care providers and physicians and veterinarians.

This October, Citigroup analyst Andrew Baum reiterated a Buy rating on shares of Merck & Company, Inc. (NYSE:MRK). The analyst also placed a $105 price target on the stock.

In the second quarter of 2021, Merck & Company, Inc. (NYSE:MRK) had an EPS of $1.31, missing estimates by $0.04. The company’s revenue was $11.40 billion, up 4.87% year over year and beating estimates by $208.55 million. Merck & Company, Inc. (NYSE:MRK) has gained 13.12% in the past 6 months and 7.58% year to date.

By the end of the second quarter of 2021, 79 hedge funds out of the 873 tracked by Insider Monkey held stakes in Merck & Company, Inc. (NYSE:MRK) worth roughly $6.5 billion. This is compared to 82 hedge funds in the previous quarter with a total stake value of approximately $7.12 billion.