Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) Shares Sold by Mill Capital Management LLC

Mill Capital Management LLC reduced its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 1.0% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 86,607 shares of the company’s stock after selling 890 shares during the quarter. Mill Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $7,774,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MRK. Financial Enhancement Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the 1st quarter valued at about $428,000. Fourth Dimension Wealth LLC grew its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 16.1% in the first quarter. Fourth Dimension Wealth LLC now owns 1,084 shares of the company’s stock valued at $97,000 after purchasing an additional 150 shares during the period. Symmetry Partners LLC increased its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 7.1% during the first quarter. Symmetry Partners LLC now owns 2,579 shares of the company’s stock worth $232,000 after purchasing an additional 172 shares during the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.5% in the 1st quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 28,252 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,536,000 after purchasing an additional 701 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Retirement Guys Formula LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the 1st quarter valued at $1,753,000. 76.07% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Performance

Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. stock opened at $80.38 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $201.82 billion, a PE ratio of 11.70, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.83 and a beta of 0.38. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 1 year low of $73.31 and a 1 year high of $134.63. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $78.96 and its 200-day simple moving average is $88.11. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 1.16 and a current ratio of 1.41.

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

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, July 8th. Shareholders 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 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.03%. Merck & Co., Inc.’s payout ratio is 47.16%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, SVP Dalton E. Smart III sold 4,262 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, April 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $82.76, for a total transaction of $352,723.12. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 7,778 shares in the company, 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 can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.09% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.