First National Bank of Mount Dora Trust Investment Services Reduces Holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK)

First National Bank of Mount Dora Trust Investment Services trimmed its position in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 68.2% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 15,603 shares of the company's stock after selling 33,470 shares during the quarter. First National Bank of Mount Dora Trust Investment Services' holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $1,401,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Tallon Kerry Patrick purchased a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the fourth quarter worth $365,000. Brighton Jones LLC raised its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 29.5% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 38,278 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,808,000 after acquiring an additional 8,710 shares in the last quarter. Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA purchased a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,350,000. Strategic Financial Concepts LLC purchased a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $2,990,000. Finally, Moloney Securities Asset Management LLC raised its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 1.6% during the fourth quarter. Moloney Securities Asset Management LLC now owns 13,987 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,391,000 after acquiring an additional 214 shares in the last quarter. 76.07% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling 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 on Friday, April 25th. The stock was 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 now directly owns 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 filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 0.13% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Merck & Co., Inc. Price Performance

NYSE MRK traded down $0.14 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $81.68. 14,549,536 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 12,851,201. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 52-week low of $73.31 and a 52-week high of $134.63. The company has a market capitalization of $205.09 billion, a PE ratio of 12.14, a PEG ratio of 0.77 and a beta of 0.38. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.79, a current ratio of 1.36 and a quick ratio of 1.15. The firm's 50-day moving average is $78.87 and its 200-day moving average is $89.44.

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 (EPS) 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 company had revenue of $15.53 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $15.59 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $2.07 EPS. Merck & Co., Inc.'s revenue was down 1.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts forecast that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, July 8th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 16th will be issued a $0.81 dividend. This represents a $3.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.97%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 16th. Merck & Co., Inc.'s payout ratio is currently 47.16%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Guggenheim reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $115.00 price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Thursday, April 17th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and cut their price objective for the company from $128.00 to $105.00 in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, April 25th. Cantor Fitzgerald cut shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from an "overweight" rating to a "cautious" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 20th. Finally, Citigroup restated a "neutral" rating and issued a $84.00 price objective (down from $115.00) on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Wednesday, May 14th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have given a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $109.19.

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.