Capital Investment Advisory Services LLC Boosts Stock Position in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK)

Capital Investment Advisory Services LLC raised its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 13.1% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 28,611 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 3,311 shares during the quarter. Capital Investment Advisory Services LLC's holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $2,568,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of MRK. Barnes Dennig Private Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. during the 1st quarter valued at $27,000. Promus Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the 4th quarter valued at $30,000. WealthTrak Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the 4th quarter valued at $35,000. MorganRosel Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the 1st quarter valued at $36,000. Finally, Spurstone Advisory Services LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the 4th quarter valued at $37,000. Institutional investors own 76.07% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

Insider Activity at Merck & Co., Inc.

In other news, SVP Dalton E. Smart III sold 4,262 shares of the business'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 completion of the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 7,778 shares in the company, valued at $643,707.28. The trade was a 35.40% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 0.09% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Performance

NYSE:MRK traded down $1.42 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $80.97. The company had a trading volume of 7,734,538 shares, compared to its average volume of 13,282,113. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 1-year low of $73.31 and a 1-year high of $129.93. The firm has a market cap of $203.32 billion, a PE ratio of 11.79, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.84 and a beta of 0.39. The business's 50 day moving average price is $79.20 and its 200-day moving average price is $86.97. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 1.41 and a quick ratio of 1.16.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The company reported $2.22 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates 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 company had revenue of $15.53 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $15.59 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $2.07 earnings per share. Merck & Co., Inc.'s revenue for the quarter was down 1.6% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts forecast that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 EPS for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, July 8th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 16th will be given a $0.81 dividend. This represents a $3.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.00%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 16th. Merck & Co., Inc.'s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 47.16%.

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.