Loring Wolcott & Coolidge Fiduciary Advisors LLP MA trimmed its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 3.2% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 393,674 shares of the company's stock after selling 12,871 shares during the quarter. Loring Wolcott & Coolidge Fiduciary Advisors LLP MA's holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $35,336,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.
Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Diversified Trust Co increased its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 12.8% during the 1st quarter. Diversified Trust Co now owns 182,721 shares of the company's stock worth $16,401,000 after purchasing an additional 20,757 shares in the last quarter. Alta Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 18.0% during the first quarter. Alta Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 3,927 shares of the company's stock worth $353,000 after buying an additional 600 shares during the period. Falcon Wealth Planning grew its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 11.8% during the first quarter. Falcon Wealth Planning now owns 3,020 shares of the company's stock worth $271,000 after buying an additional 318 shares in the last quarter. Hedges Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 8.4% during the first quarter. Hedges Asset Management LLC now owns 18,700 shares of the company's stock worth $1,679,000 after buying an additional 1,450 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Perpetual Ltd raised its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 13.1% in the 1st quarter. Perpetual Ltd now owns 662,014 shares of the company's stock valued at $59,422,000 after buying an additional 76,619 shares during the last quarter. 76.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.
Insider Transactions at Merck & Co., Inc.
In related news, SVP Dalton E. Smart III sold 4,262 shares of the company'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 now directly owns 7,778 shares in the company, valued at $643,707.28. This represents a 35.40% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.13% of the company's stock.
Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Performance
NYSE:MRK opened at $78.94 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $198.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.49, a PEG ratio of 0.83 and a beta of 0.38. Merck & Co., Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $73.31 and a fifty-two week high of $132.29. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 1.16 and a current ratio of 1.41. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $79.04 and a 200-day moving average price of $87.88.
Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 24th. The company reported $2.22 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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 net margin of 27.27% and a return on equity of 43.23%. Merck & Co., Inc.'s revenue was down 1.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $2.07 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 EPS for the current fiscal year.
Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement
The firm also recently announced 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. This represents a $3.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.10%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 16th. Merck & Co., Inc.'s dividend payout ratio is presently 47.16%.
Wall Street Analyst Weigh In
MRK has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Cantor Fitzgerald downgraded Merck & Co., Inc. from an "overweight" rating to a "cautious" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 20th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, April 25th. Guggenheim restated a "buy" rating and set a $115.00 target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Thursday, April 17th. Finally, Citigroup reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and issued a $84.00 target price (down previously 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 issued a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $109.19.
Read Our Latest Stock Report on MRK
About Merck & Co., Inc.
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Free Report)
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.
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