Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) Shares Sold by Rowlandmiller & PARTNERS.ADV

Rowlandmiller & PARTNERS.ADV cut its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 4.3% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 40,698 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,850 shares during the period. Rowlandmiller & PARTNERS.ADV’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $3,653,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Tallon Kerry Patrick acquired a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the 4th quarter valued at about $365,000. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 29.5% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 38,278 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,808,000 after buying an additional 8,710 shares in the last quarter. Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA acquired a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the fourth quarter worth about $26,350,000. Comprehensive Financial Planning Inc. PA acquired a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the fourth quarter worth about $105,000. Finally, Pineridge Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 517.7% during the fourth quarter. Pineridge Advisors LLC now owns 871 shares of the company’s stock worth $87,000 after purchasing an additional 730 shares in the last quarter. 76.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling at Merck & Co., Inc.

In related news, SVP Dalton E. Smart III sold 4,262 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, April 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $82.76, for a total value of $352,723.12. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 7,778 shares in the company, valued at $643,707.28. This trade represents a 35.40% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.13% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Up 2.5%

Shares of NYSE:MRK opened at $81.32 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $204.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.08, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.77 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 company’s fifty day moving average is $78.88 and its two-hundred day moving average is $89.64. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.79, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a current ratio of 1.36.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The company reported $2.22 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.16 by $0.06. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 45.35% and a net margin of 26.67%. The business had revenue of $15.53 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $15.59 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.07 EPS. The business’s revenue was down 1.6% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts anticipate that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 EPS for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, July 8th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 16th will be paid a $0.81 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 16th. This represents a $3.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.98%. Merck & Co., Inc.’s payout ratio is currently 47.16%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MRK has been the topic of several recent research reports. Guggenheim reissued a “buy” rating and set a $115.00 price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Thursday, April 17th. 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. Cantor Fitzgerald lowered shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from an “overweight” rating to a “cautious” rating in a report on Tuesday, May 20th. Citigroup reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $84.00 price target (down previously from $115.00) on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Wednesday, May 14th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut Merck & Co., Inc. from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and cut their price target for the stock from $128.00 to $105.00 in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have assigned a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $109.19.

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.