Foundations Investment Advisors LLC Trims Stock Position in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK)

Key Points

• Foundations Investment Advisors LLC reduced its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 66.8%, selling 48,795 shares during the first quarter, leaving it with 24,266 shares worth approximately $2.18 million.
• Several hedge funds have increased their holdings in Merck, with Simplicity Wealth LLC dramatically raising its stake by 991.7%, now owning 33,394 shares valued at around $2.99 million.
• Merck & Co., Inc. declared a quarterly dividend of $0.81 per share, with a dividend yield of 3.91% and a dividend payout ratio of 47.16%.

Foundations Investment Advisors LLC decreased its position in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 66.8% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 24,266 shares of the company's stock after selling 48,795 shares during the quarter. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC's holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $2,178,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Semus Wealth Partners LLC grew its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 8.2% during the 1st quarter. Semus Wealth Partners LLC now owns 5,039 shares of the company's stock valued at $452,000 after acquiring an additional 382 shares during the period. Quilter Plc raised its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 5.6% in the 1st 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 stake 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 purchasing an additional 30,335 shares during the last quarter. China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd. grew its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 13.8% during 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 purchasing an additional 6,850 shares during the period. Finally, Advisor OS LLC grew its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.9% during the first quarter. Advisor OS LLC now owns 32,558 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,922,000 after purchasing an additional 293 shares during the period. 76.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have recently commented on the company. Wall Street Zen cut Merck & Co., Inc. from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, April 25th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $97.00 to $90.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday. Citigroup reiterated a "neutral" rating and set a $84.00 target price (down previously from $115.00) on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Wednesday, May 14th. Morgan Stanley reduced 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. Finally, Guggenheim restated a "buy" rating and set a $115.00 price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Thursday, April 17th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have issued a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $107.44.

Merck & Co., Inc. Price Performance

Shares of NYSE MRK traded up $0.49 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $78.61. 2,170,250 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 15,814,231. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 52 week low of $73.31 and a 52 week high of $120.30. The company's 50 day moving average price is $80.37 and its 200 day moving average price is $84.80. The stock has a market capitalization of $197.39 billion, a PE ratio of 12.09, a PEG ratio of 0.83 and a beta of 0.39. The company has a quick ratio of 1.16, a current ratio of 1.41 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 29th. The company reported $2.13 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.03 by $0.10. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 41.63% and a net margin of 25.79%. The firm had revenue of $15.81 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $15.92 billion. Sell-side analysts forecast that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, October 7th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 15th will be given a dividend of $0.81 per share. This represents a $3.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.1%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 15th. Merck & Co., Inc.'s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 49.92%.

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.