Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) Stock Position Lowered by Investment Partners Asset Management Inc.

Investment Partners Asset Management Inc. trimmed its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 43.7% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 6,644 shares of the company's stock after selling 5,154 shares during the period. Investment Partners Asset Management Inc.'s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $596,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Midwest Capital Advisors LLC bought a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. during the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Noble Wealth Management PBC bought a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Promus Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Finally, TruNorth Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 83.7% during the fourth quarter. TruNorth Capital Management LLC now owns 316 shares of the company's stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 144 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.07% of the company's stock.

Merck & Co., Inc. Price Performance

NYSE:MRK traded up $1.54 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $81.86. 4,968,195 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 12,753,531. The company has a market capitalization of $205.55 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.16, a P/E/G ratio of 0.77 and a beta of 0.38. The company has a current ratio of 1.36, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.79. Merck & Co., Inc. has a one year low of $73.31 and a one year high of $134.63. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $78.86 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $89.57.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The company reported $2.22 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.16 by $0.06. The business had revenue of $15.53 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $15.59 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 45.35% and a net margin of 26.67%. The company's quarterly revenue was down 1.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.07 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts predict that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 EPS for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, July 8th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 16th will be given a $0.81 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 16th. This represents a $3.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.96%. Merck & Co., Inc.'s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 47.16%.

Insider Transactions at Merck & Co., Inc.

In related news, SVP Dalton E. Smart III sold 4,262 shares of Merck & Co., Inc. stock in a transaction dated Friday, April 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $82.76, for a total value of $352,723.12. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 7,778 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $643,707.28. This trade represents a 35.40% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.13% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have weighed in on the stock. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, April 25th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and decreased their price target for the company from $128.00 to $105.00 in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. Cantor Fitzgerald downgraded shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from an "overweight" rating to a "cautious" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 20th. Guggenheim reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $115.00 target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Thursday, April 17th. Finally, Citigroup restated a "neutral" rating and issued a $84.00 target price (down from $115.00) on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Wednesday, May 14th. One equities 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 assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Merck & Co., Inc. has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target 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.