Adell Harriman & Carpenter Inc. Has $2.06 Million Holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK)

Adell Harriman & Carpenter Inc. lowered its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 40.7% during the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 22,975 shares of the company's stock after selling 15,764 shares during the quarter. Adell Harriman & Carpenter Inc.'s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $2,062,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Elite Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the first quarter valued at approximately $51,000. World Investment Advisors increased its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 4.9% in the 1st quarter. World Investment Advisors now owns 144,250 shares of the company's stock valued at $12,948,000 after buying an additional 6,696 shares during the period. Jackson Thornton Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 24.9% in the 1st quarter. Jackson Thornton Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,989 shares of the company's stock valued at $268,000 after buying an additional 596 shares during the period. Olde Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $144,000. Finally, Capital Investment Advisory Services LLC increased its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 13.1% in the 1st quarter. Capital Investment Advisory Services LLC now owns 28,611 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,568,000 after buying an additional 3,311 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.07% of the company's stock.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Down 1.7%

MRK stock traded down $1.42 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $80.97. The company's stock had a trading volume of 7,734,538 shares, compared to its average volume of 13,282,113. The company has a quick ratio of 1.16, a current ratio of 1.41 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $79.20 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $87.05. The company has a market capitalization of $203.32 billion, a PE ratio of 10.39, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.84 and a beta of 0.39. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 12 month low of $73.31 and a 12 month high of $129.93.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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. The business had revenue of $15.53 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $15.59 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 27.27% and a return on equity of 43.23%. Merck & Co., Inc.'s quarterly revenue was down 1.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.07 EPS. On average, equities research analysts expect that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 earnings per share for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

Insider Activity

In related news, SVP Dalton E. Smart III sold 4,262 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Friday, April 25th. The shares were 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 approximately $643,707.28. This represents a 35.40% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.13% of the company's stock.

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.