Mediolanum International Funds Ltd Sells 94,660 Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK)

Key Points

• Mediolanum International Funds Ltd has reduced its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 9.9%, now owning 860,276 shares valued at approximately $76.76 million, making it the fund's 16th largest holding.
• Merck's most recent quarterly earnings report indicated an EPS of $2.22, slightly above the consensus estimate of $2.16, despite a 1.6% decline in revenue year-over-year.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.81 per share, with a payout date of October 7th, representing an annualized yield of 3.82%.

Mediolanum International Funds Ltd decreased its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 9.9% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 860,276 shares of the company's stock after selling 94,660 shares during the period. Merck & Co., Inc. comprises 1.1% of Mediolanum International Funds Ltd's portfolio, making the stock its 16th biggest position. Mediolanum International Funds Ltd's holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $76,762,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of MRK. Bell & Brown Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 1.2% in the 1st quarter. Bell & Brown Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 43,668 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,920,000 after buying an additional 507 shares during the period. Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ increased its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 3.2% in the 1st quarter. Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ now owns 1,920,890 shares of the company's stock valued at $172,419,000 after buying an additional 59,386 shares during the period. Syntax Research Inc. increased its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.2% in the 1st quarter. Syntax Research Inc. now owns 34,034 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,055,000 after buying an additional 719 shares during the period. Prospect Financial Group LLC increased its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 16.8% in the 1st quarter. Prospect Financial Group LLC now owns 2,988 shares of the company's stock valued at $268,000 after buying an additional 430 shares during the period. Finally, Caliber Wealth Management LLC KS acquired a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the 1st quarter valued at $2,762,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.07% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have commented on MRK. Citigroup reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and set a $84.00 target price (down previously from $115.00) on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Wednesday, May 14th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, April 25th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $97.00 to $90.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday. Morgan Stanley lowered 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 report on Thursday, July 10th. Finally, Guggenheim reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $115.00 target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Thursday, April 17th. 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 given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $107.44.

Merck & Co., Inc. Price Performance

Merck & Co., Inc. stock traded up $0.02 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $82.65. The company had a trading volume of 5,163,658 shares, compared to its average volume of 15,830,077. Merck & Co., Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $73.31 and a fifty-two week high of $120.30. The company has a current ratio of 1.41, a quick ratio of 1.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. The company has a market cap of $207.54 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.03, a P/E/G ratio of 0.86 and a beta of 0.39. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $80.27 and a 200 day simple moving average of $84.98.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 29th. The company reported $2.13 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.03 by $0.10. The firm had revenue of $15.81 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $15.92 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 27.27% and a return on equity of 43.23%. On average, equities research analysts predict that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 earnings per share for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, October 7th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.81 per share. This represents a $3.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.92%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 15th. Merck & Co., Inc.'s payout ratio is currently 47.16%.

Merck & Co., Inc. Company 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.