Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) Shares Sold by Sabal Trust CO

Sabal Trust CO reduced its position in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 0.3% in the 1st quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 295,873 shares of the company’s stock after selling 885 shares during the period. Merck & Co., Inc. makes up about 1.5% of Sabal Trust CO’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 29th biggest position. Sabal Trust CO’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $26,558,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of MRK. Noble Wealth Management PBC acquired a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the fourth quarter worth $28,000. Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. during the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. Promus Capital LLC acquired a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. in the 4th quarter worth about $30,000. WealthTrak Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. in the 4th quarter valued at about $35,000. Finally, Spurstone Advisory Services LLC purchased a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. in the 4th quarter valued at about $37,000. 76.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Merck & Co., Inc. Price Performance

Shares of NYSE MRK opened at $79.74 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 1.41 and a quick ratio of 1.16. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 1-year low of $73.31 and a 1-year high of $133.43. The company has a market capitalization of $200.23 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.61, a PEG ratio of 0.83 and a beta of 0.38. The business has a 50-day moving average of $79.02 and a 200-day moving average of $88.05.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last released its quarterly earnings results 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 firm had revenue of $15.53 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $15.59 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $2.07 EPS. Merck & Co., Inc.’s revenue for the quarter was down 1.6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, July 8th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 16th will be paid a $0.81 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 16th. This represents a $3.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.06%. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 47.16%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

Insider Activity

In other Merck & Co., Inc. news, SVP Dalton E. Smart III sold 4,262 shares of the business’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 transaction, the senior vice president now owns 7,778 shares in the company, valued at $643,707.28. The trade was a 35.40% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 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.