Bessemer Group Inc. Sells 128,225 Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK)

Bessemer Group Inc. reduced its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 7.9% in the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,499,908 shares of the company's stock after selling 128,225 shares during the quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. owned approximately 0.06% of Merck & Co., Inc. worth $134,631,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Aurora Private Wealth Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 598.9% in the first quarter. Aurora Private Wealth Inc. now owns 72,404 shares of the company's stock valued at $6,499,000 after purchasing an additional 62,045 shares during the last quarter. MOKAN Wealth Management Inc. grew its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 13.8% in the 1st quarter. MOKAN Wealth Management Inc. now owns 44,821 shares of the company's stock worth $4,023,000 after purchasing an additional 5,426 shares in the last quarter. Independent Solutions Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 5.5% in the 1st quarter. Independent Solutions Wealth Management LLC now owns 17,072 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,532,000 after buying an additional 896 shares during the last quarter. waypoint wealth counsel increased its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 10.7% in the 1st quarter. waypoint wealth counsel now owns 3,328 shares of the company's stock valued at $299,000 after buying an additional 322 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Berkshire Money Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the first quarter valued at approximately $203,000. 76.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Merck & Co., Inc. Price Performance

Shares of MRK stock traded down $0.73 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $78.94. 13,735,255 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 13,138,041. The company has a market capitalization of $198.21 billion, a PE ratio of 10.23, a PEG ratio of 0.83 and a beta of 0.38. The company has a current ratio of 1.41, a quick ratio of 1.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 12-month low of $73.31 and a 12-month high of $132.29. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $79.02 and its 200-day simple moving average is $88.05.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 24th. The company reported $2.22 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.16 by $0.06. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 43.23% and a net margin of 27.27%. The firm had revenue of $15.53 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $15.59 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $2.07 earnings per share. The company's quarterly revenue was down 1.6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 earnings per share for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, July 8th. Investors of record on Monday, June 16th will be paid a $0.81 dividend. This represents a $3.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.10%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 16th. Merck & Co., Inc.'s payout ratio is 47.16%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts recently commented on the company. Citigroup reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and set a $84.00 price target (down from $115.00) on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Wednesday, May 14th. Guggenheim restated 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 report on Friday, April 25th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald downgraded shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from an "overweight" rating to a "cautious" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 20th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have given a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Merck & Co., Inc. has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $109.19.

Insider Activity at Merck & Co., Inc.

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

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.