Highland Capital Management LLC Decreases Holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK)

Highland Capital Management LLC lessened its position in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 5.4% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 287,656 shares of the company's stock after selling 16,560 shares during the quarter. Merck & Co., Inc. makes up 1.5% of Highland Capital Management LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 12th largest holding. Highland Capital Management LLC's holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $25,820,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Noble Wealth Management PBC purchased a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. in the fourth quarter valued at $28,000. Promus Capital LLC purchased a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. in the fourth quarter valued at $30,000. WealthTrak Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. in the fourth quarter valued at $35,000. Finally, Spurstone Advisory Services LLC purchased a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. in the fourth quarter valued at $37,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.07% of the company's stock.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Performance

MRK stock traded up $0.10 during trading on Friday, hitting $78.93. The company had a trading volume of 60,171,714 shares, compared to its average volume of 13,331,143. The firm has a market cap of $198.20 billion, a PE ratio of 11.49, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.82 and a beta of 0.38. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 1-year low of $73.31 and a 1-year high of $130.97. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $79.06 and a 200-day moving average price of $87.73. 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 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. The firm had revenue of $15.53 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $15.59 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 43.23% and a net margin of 27.27%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was down 1.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $2.07 EPS. On average, analysts expect that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 earnings per share for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

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 $0.81 dividend. 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%.

Insider Activity at Merck & Co., Inc.

In other Merck & Co., Inc. 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 stock was sold at an average price of $82.76, for a total transaction of $352,723.12. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 7,778 shares in the company, valued at approximately $643,707.28. The trade was a 35.40% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. 0.13% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

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.