Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) Stake Reduced by Millstone Evans Group LLC

Millstone Evans Group LLC trimmed its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 1.2% during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 13,023 shares of the company’s stock after selling 158 shares during the quarter. Merck & Co., Inc. makes up about 0.8% of Millstone Evans Group LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 25th largest holding. Millstone Evans Group LLC’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $1,169,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of MRK. Barnes Dennig Private Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. during the 1st quarter worth $27,000. WealthTrak Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the fourth quarter valued at about $35,000. MorganRosel Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the first quarter valued at about $36,000. Spurstone Advisory Services LLC acquired a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. in the fourth quarter worth about $37,000. Finally, Hurley Capital LLC bought a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. in the 4th quarter valued at about $40,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.07% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, SVP Dalton E. Smart III sold 4,262 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction 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 completion of the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 7,778 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $643,707.28. This trade represents a 35.40% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.09% of the company’s stock.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Down 1.9%

Merck & Co., Inc. stock opened at $79.97 on Monday. 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 $128.73. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $79.37 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $85.70. The firm has a market cap of $200.81 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.64, a P/E/G ratio of 0.83 and a beta of 0.39.

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

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, July 8th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 16th were given a $0.81 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 16th. This represents a $3.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.05%. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 47.16%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MRK has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $99.00 to $98.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, July 10th. Citigroup reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $84.00 target price (down from $115.00) on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Wednesday, May 14th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, April 25th. Cantor Fitzgerald lowered shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from an “overweight” rating to a “cautious” rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 20th. Finally, Guggenheim reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $115.00 target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Thursday, April 17th. One 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 issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $108.69.

Merck & Co., Inc. Company 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.