Alpha Cubed Investments LLC Sells 161,076 Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK)

Alpha Cubed Investments LLC reduced its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 70.2% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 68,262 shares of the company’s stock after selling 161,076 shares during the quarter. Alpha Cubed Investments LLC’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $6,127,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the business. Barnes Dennig Private Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the first quarter valued at $27,000. WealthTrak Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. during the 4th quarter worth about $35,000. Spurstone Advisory Services LLC bought a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. during the 4th quarter worth about $37,000. Hurley Capital LLC acquired a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. in the 4th quarter valued at about $40,000. Finally, MorganRosel Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the first quarter worth about $36,000. 76.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Down 1.7%

Merck & Co., Inc. stock opened at $80.97 on Monday. The firm has a market capitalization of $203.32 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.79, a PEG ratio of 0.84 and a beta of 0.39. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $79.20 and its 200 day simple moving average is $86.89. 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 fifty-two week low of $73.31 and a fifty-two week high of $129.93.

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

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, July 8th. Investors of record on Monday, June 16th will be given a $0.81 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 16th. This represents a $3.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.00%. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio is currently 47.16%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Merck & Co., Inc. news, SVP Dalton E. Smart III sold 4,262 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, April 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $82.76, for a total transaction of $352,723.12. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president owned 7,778 shares in the company, valued at approximately $643,707.28. This represents a 35.40% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 0.09% of the company’s stock.

About Merck & Co., Inc.

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.