CenterBook Partners LP Takes Position in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK)

CenterBook Partners LP acquired a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor acquired 4,146 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $372,000.

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Keynote Financial Services LLC boosted its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 41.6% in the first quarter. Keynote Financial Services LLC now owns 11,987 shares of the company's stock worth $1,076,000 after acquiring an additional 3,521 shares during the period. 1834 Investment Advisors Co. grew its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 4.9% in the first quarter. 1834 Investment Advisors Co. now owns 70,106 shares of the company's stock valued at $6,293,000 after purchasing an additional 3,292 shares in the last quarter. Altfest L J & Co. Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 1.5% in the first quarter. Altfest L J & Co. Inc. now owns 25,043 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,248,000 after purchasing an additional 358 shares in the last quarter. VeraBank N.A. lifted its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 1.2% in the 1st quarter. VeraBank N.A. now owns 11,978 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,075,000 after purchasing an additional 139 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 144.6% in the 1st quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 49,229,283 shares of the company's stock valued at $4,418,820,000 after purchasing an additional 29,104,112 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.07% of the company's stock.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Performance

Shares of MRK stock traded down $1.55 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $79.97. 11,654,241 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 13,503,365. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $79.37 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $85.79. The stock has a market capitalization of $200.81 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.64, a P/E/G ratio of 0.83 and a beta of 0.39. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 12-month low of $73.31 and a 12-month high of $128.73. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 1.16 and a current ratio of 1.41.

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 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 for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $15.59 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $2.07 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was down 1.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts forecast that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 EPS for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, July 8th. Investors of record on Monday, June 16th were paid a $0.81 dividend. This represents a $3.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.05%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 16th. Merck & Co., Inc.'s payout ratio is currently 47.16%.

Insider Transactions at Merck & Co., Inc.

In other Merck & Co., Inc. news, SVP Dalton E. Smart III sold 4,262 shares of Merck & Co., Inc. stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 7,778 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $643,707.28. The trade was a 35.40% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.13% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MRK has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $99.00 to $98.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, July 10th. Citigroup restated a "neutral" rating and set a $84.00 price objective (down from $115.00) on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Wednesday, May 14th. Cantor Fitzgerald downgraded Merck & Co., Inc. from an "overweight" rating to a "cautious" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 20th. Guggenheim restated a "buy" rating and set a $115.00 price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Thursday, April 17th. 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 research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have given a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $108.69.

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.