Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) Stock Position Cut by Columbia Asset Management

Columbia Asset Management lessened its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 5.9% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 122,648 shares of the company's stock after selling 7,731 shares during the period. Merck & Co., Inc. makes up approximately 2.2% of Columbia Asset Management's holdings, making the stock its 7th largest holding. Columbia Asset Management's holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $11,009,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Peterson Wealth Services grew its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.5% during the 4th quarter. Peterson Wealth Services now owns 21,479 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,137,000 after buying an additional 113 shares during the last quarter. Hemington Wealth Management raised its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 3.2% in the fourth quarter. Hemington Wealth Management now owns 4,050 shares of the company's stock worth $402,000 after acquiring an additional 125 shares during the last quarter. Center for Financial Planning Inc. lifted its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.9% in the fourth quarter. Center for Financial Planning Inc. now owns 14,805 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,473,000 after acquiring an additional 125 shares in the last quarter. FSB Premier Wealth Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 5.8% during the fourth quarter. FSB Premier Wealth Management Inc. now owns 2,283 shares of the company's stock valued at $227,000 after acquiring an additional 125 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Focused Wealth Management Inc increased its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 1.7% during the 4th quarter. Focused Wealth Management Inc now owns 7,520 shares of the company's stock worth $748,000 after purchasing an additional 128 shares in the last quarter. 76.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Merck & Co., Inc. Trading Up 1.7%

Shares of NYSE MRK traded up $1.33 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $78.95. The stock had a trading volume of 9,845,152 shares, compared to its average volume of 12,681,521. The company has a quick ratio of 1.15, a current ratio of 1.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.79. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 1-year low of $73.31 and a 1-year high of $134.63. The company has a market capitalization of $198.25 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.73, a PEG ratio of 0.77 and a beta of 0.43. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $79.29 and a 200 day moving average price of $90.08.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results 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 net margin of 26.67% and a return on equity of 45.35%. 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 previous year, the business posted $2.07 EPS. The business's quarterly revenue was down 1.6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts predict that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 earnings per share for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, July 8th. Investors of record on Monday, June 16th will be given a dividend of $0.81 per share. This represents a $3.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.10%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 16th. Merck & Co., Inc.'s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 47.16%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MRK has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, April 25th. Citigroup reissued a "neutral" rating and issued a $84.00 price objective (down previously from $115.00) on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Wednesday, May 14th. Cantor Fitzgerald lowered shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from an "overweight" rating to a "cautious" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 20th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft downgraded Merck & Co., Inc. from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and cut their price target for the company from $128.00 to $105.00 in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. Finally, TD Cowen lowered Merck & Co., Inc. from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and reduced their price target for the stock from $121.00 to $100.00 in a research note on Monday, February 10th. One 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 data from MarketBeat, Merck & Co., Inc. has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $109.19.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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 shares were sold at an average price of $82.76, for a total transaction 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. The trade was a 35.40% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. 0.13% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Merck & Co., Inc. 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.