MWA Asset Management Sells 550 Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK)

MWA Asset Management cut its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 7.4% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 6,838 shares of the company’s stock after selling 550 shares during the period. MWA Asset Management’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $614,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Silver Coast Investments LLC grew its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 43.0% in the first quarter. Silver Coast Investments LLC now owns 4,234 shares of the company’s stock valued at $380,000 after acquiring an additional 1,274 shares during the period. Probity Advisors Inc. grew its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 4.9% in the first quarter. Probity Advisors Inc. now owns 17,747 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,593,000 after acquiring an additional 830 shares during the period. ING Groep NV grew its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 60.6% in the first quarter. ING Groep NV now owns 2,223,042 shares of the company’s stock valued at $199,540,000 after acquiring an additional 838,530 shares during the period. Earned Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. in the first quarter valued at $254,000. Finally, SGL Investment Advisors Inc. grew its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 28.5% in the first quarter. SGL Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 3,779 shares of the company’s stock valued at $339,000 after acquiring an additional 838 shares during the period. 76.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Merck & Co., Inc. Trading Up 1.5%

NYSE MRK opened at $79.27 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $199.05 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.21, a P/E/G ratio of 0.80 and a beta of 0.38. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 1.41 and a quick ratio of 1.16. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $80.41 and its 200-day moving average is $84.44. Merck & Co., Inc. has a one year low of $73.31 and a one year high of $120.30.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 29th. The company reported $2.13 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.03 by $0.10. The company had revenue of $15.81 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $15.92 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 41.63% and a net margin of 25.79%. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, October 7th. Investors of record on Monday, September 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.81 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 15th. This represents a $3.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.1%. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 49.92%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have recently commented on MRK. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $97.00 to $90.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, July 30th. Guggenheim restated a “buy” rating and set a $115.00 target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Thursday, April 17th. Cantor Fitzgerald cut Merck & Co., Inc. from an “overweight” rating to a “cautious” rating in a report on Tuesday, May 20th. Wall Street Zen cut Merck & Co., Inc. from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, April 25th. Finally, 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. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have given a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $107.44.

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.