Core Alternative Capital Sells 11,423 Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK)

Core Alternative Capital trimmed its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 16.2% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 58,963 shares of the company's stock after selling 11,423 shares during the quarter. Core Alternative Capital's holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $5,293,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of MRK. Barnes Dennig Private Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. in the 1st quarter worth approximately $27,000. WealthTrak Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the fourth quarter worth $35,000. MorganRosel Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the first quarter worth $36,000. Spurstone Advisory Services LLC bought a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the fourth quarter worth $37,000. Finally, Hurley Capital LLC bought a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the fourth quarter worth $40,000. 76.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Merck & Co., Inc. Price Performance

MRK stock traded down $0.04 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $80.89. The company's stock had a trading volume of 15,774,999 shares, compared to its average volume of 13,292,090. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 12 month low of $73.31 and a 12 month high of $129.93. The company has a quick ratio of 1.16, a current ratio of 1.41 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. The firm has a market capitalization of $203.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.77, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.84 and a beta of 0.39. The company has a 50 day moving average of $79.20 and a two-hundred day moving average of $86.89.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The company reported $2.22 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.16 by $0.06. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 27.27% and a return on equity of 43.23%. The firm had revenue of $15.53 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $15.59 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $2.07 earnings per share. Merck & Co., Inc.'s revenue for the quarter was down 1.6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts expect that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 EPS for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed 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 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.01%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 16th. Merck & Co., Inc.'s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 47.16%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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

Insider Activity at Merck & Co., Inc.

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

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.