Segment Wealth Management LLC Sells 805 Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK)

Segment Wealth Management LLC trimmed its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 4.7% in the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 16,503 shares of the company’s stock after selling 805 shares during the period. Segment Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $1,481,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Tallon Kerry Patrick acquired a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the fourth quarter worth approximately $365,000. Brighton Jones LLC increased its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 29.5% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 38,278 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,808,000 after purchasing an additional 8,710 shares in the last quarter. Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA bought a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. in the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,350,000. C2P Capital Advisory Group LLC d.b.a. Prosperity Capital Advisors lifted its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 12.5% during the 4th quarter. C2P Capital Advisory Group LLC d.b.a. Prosperity Capital Advisors now owns 6,042 shares of the company’s stock worth $601,000 after buying an additional 673 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Atlas Legacy Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. during the 4th quarter worth $249,000. Institutional investors own 76.07% of the company’s stock.

Merck & Co., Inc. Trading Up 1.3%

Shares of NYSE MRK opened at $79.26 on Friday. Merck & Co., Inc. has a twelve month low of $73.31 and a twelve month high of $134.63. The stock has a market cap of $199.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.54, a P/E/G ratio of 0.82 and a beta of 0.38. The company has a quick ratio of 1.16, a current ratio of 1.41 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. The company’s fifty day moving average is $78.89 and its 200-day moving average is $88.67.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 24th. The company reported $2.22 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.16 by $0.06. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 43.23% and a net margin of 27.27%. The business had revenue of $15.53 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $15.59 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.07 EPS. The firm’s revenue was down 1.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts predict that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 EPS for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, July 8th. Investors of record on Monday, June 16th will be paid a dividend of $0.81 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 16th. This represents a $3.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.09%. Merck & Co., Inc.’s payout ratio is 47.16%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on MRK shares. Wall Street Zen downgraded Merck & Co., Inc. from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, April 25th. Citigroup reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $84.00 price objective (down from $115.00) on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Wednesday, May 14th. Guggenheim restated a “buy” rating and set a $115.00 target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Thursday, April 17th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald lowered shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from an “overweight” rating to a “cautious” rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 20th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have assigned a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $109.19.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, SVP Dalton E. Smart III sold 4,262 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, April 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $82.76, for a total value of $352,723.12. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 7,778 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $643,707.28. This represents a 35.40% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

Merck & Co., Inc. 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.