Csenge Advisory Group Sells 4,810 Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK)

Csenge Advisory Group reduced its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 22.7% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 16,424 shares of the company's stock after selling 4,810 shares during the period. Csenge Advisory Group's holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $1,474,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in MRK. Barnes Dennig Private Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the first quarter worth $27,000. WealthTrak Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. during the fourth quarter valued at $35,000. Spurstone Advisory Services LLC purchased a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. during the fourth quarter valued at $37,000. Hurley Capital LLC purchased a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. during the fourth quarter valued at $40,000. Finally, MorganRosel Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. during the first quarter valued at $36,000. 76.07% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Down 1.9%

Shares of NYSE:MRK traded down $1.55 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $79.97. The company's stock had a trading volume of 11,654,241 shares, compared to its average volume of 13,503,365. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 52 week low of $73.31 and a 52 week high of $128.73. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 1.41 and a quick ratio of 1.16. The company 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. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $79.37 and its 200 day moving average price is $85.79.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last posted 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 net margin of 27.27% and a return on equity of 43.23%. The business had revenue of $15.53 billion during 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 company's quarterly revenue was down 1.6% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts expect that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 EPS for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MRK has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Citigroup reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and set a $84.00 target price (down from $115.00) on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Wednesday, May 14th. Cantor Fitzgerald cut shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from an "overweight" rating to a "cautious" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 20th. Morgan Stanley cut their target price on shares of 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. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, April 25th. Finally, Guggenheim reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $115.00 price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Thursday, April 17th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have given a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $108.69.

Insider Activity

In related 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 shares were 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 owned 7,778 shares in the company, valued at $643,707.28. The trade was a 35.40% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 0.13% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.