Choreo LLC Reduces Holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK)

Choreo LLC decreased its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 6.7% during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 128,446 shares of the company's stock after selling 9,244 shares during the period. Choreo LLC's holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $11,630,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Quilter Plc lifted its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 5.6% during the first quarter. Quilter Plc now owns 1,180,797 shares of the company's stock worth $105,988,000 after purchasing an additional 62,933 shares during the period. Simplicity Wealth LLC lifted its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 991.7% in the first quarter. Simplicity Wealth LLC now owns 33,394 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,997,000 after acquiring an additional 30,335 shares during the period. China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd. lifted its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 13.8% in the first quarter. China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 56,566 shares of the company's stock valued at $5,118,000 after acquiring an additional 6,850 shares during the period. Summit Financial LLC lifted its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 34.2% in the fourth quarter. Summit Financial LLC now owns 102,099 shares of the company's stock valued at $10,229,000 after acquiring an additional 25,997 shares during the period. Finally, Alta Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 18.0% in the first quarter. Alta Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 3,927 shares of the company's stock valued at $353,000 after acquiring an additional 600 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.07% of the company's stock.

Merck & Co., Inc. Trading Up 1.8%

Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. stock traded up $1.40 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $80.71. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,724,360 shares, compared to its average volume of 13,450,104. Merck & Co., Inc. has a twelve month low of $73.31 and a twelve month high of $128.73. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $79.37 and a 200-day moving average of $85.70. The stock has a market cap of $202.68 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.75, a P/E/G ratio of 0.83 and a beta of 0.39. 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 results on Thursday, April 24th. The company reported $2.22 EPS 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 for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $15.59 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $2.07 EPS. The company's quarterly revenue 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 company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, July 8th. Investors of record on Monday, June 16th were paid a dividend of $0.81 per share. This represents a $3.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.01%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 16th. Merck & Co., Inc.'s payout ratio is 47.16%.

Insider Transactions at Merck & Co., Inc.

In other Merck & Co., Inc. news, SVP Dalton E. Smart III sold 4,262 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, April 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $82.76, for a total transaction of $352,723.12. Following the sale, the senior vice president owned 7,778 shares in the company, valued at $643,707.28. This represents a 35.40% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Insiders own 0.13% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have issued reports on the company. Wall Street Zen downgraded Merck & Co., Inc. from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, April 25th. Morgan Stanley cut their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $99.00 to $98.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, July 10th. Citigroup reiterated 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. Cantor Fitzgerald cut Merck & Co., Inc. from an "overweight" rating to a "cautious" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 20th. Finally, Guggenheim reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $115.00 price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Thursday, April 17th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have assigned a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average 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.

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