Blodgett Wealth Advisors LLC Decreases Stock Holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK)

Blodgett Wealth Advisors LLC lessened its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 22.7% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 10,971 shares of the company's stock after selling 3,224 shares during the period. Merck & Co., Inc. makes up 0.8% of Blodgett Wealth Advisors LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 21st biggest position. Blodgett Wealth Advisors LLC's holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $985,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Dynamic Advisor Solutions LLC lifted its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.8% in the 1st quarter. Dynamic Advisor Solutions LLC now owns 46,420 shares of the company's stock valued at $4,167,000 after acquiring an additional 1,266 shares in the last quarter. Dover Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 4.6% in the 1st quarter. Dover Advisors LLC now owns 13,594 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,231,000 after acquiring an additional 603 shares in the last quarter. Hennessy Advisors Inc. boosted its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 90.4% during the 1st quarter. Hennessy Advisors Inc. now owns 123,650 shares of the company's stock worth $11,099,000 after acquiring an additional 58,700 shares during the last quarter. Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. grew its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 1.5% in the first quarter. Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. now owns 135,781 shares of the company's stock valued at $12,188,000 after purchasing an additional 2,033 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC lifted its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 5.5% during the 1st quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 1,646,903 shares of the company's stock worth $147,826,000 after buying an additional 86,412 shares in the last quarter. 76.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts recently commented on MRK shares. Citigroup reissued 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. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, April 25th. 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 shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from an "overweight" rating to a "cautious" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 20th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered Merck & Co., Inc. from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and dropped their price objective for the company from $128.00 to $105.00 in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have issued a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and two have given 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. Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:MRK traded up $0.98 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $79.26. The company had a trading volume of 21,838,918 shares, compared to its average volume of 12,929,862. The stock has a market cap of $199.03 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.54, a P/E/G ratio of 0.84 and a beta of 0.38. The company's 50 day moving average price is $78.90 and its 200 day moving average price is $88.89. 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 52-week low of $73.31 and a 52-week high of $134.63.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 43.23% and a net margin of 27.27%. The business had revenue of $15.53 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $15.59 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $2.07 earnings per share. Merck & Co., Inc.'s revenue was down 1.6% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, July 8th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 16th will be issued a dividend of $0.81 per share. This represents a $3.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.09%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 16th. Merck & Co., Inc.'s payout ratio is presently 47.16%.

Insider Activity

In related news, SVP Dalton E. Smart III sold 4,262 shares of Merck & Co., Inc. 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 now owns 7,778 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $643,707.28. This trade represents a 35.40% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.09% of the company's stock.

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.