Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) is Augustine Asset Management Inc.'s 10th Largest Position

Augustine Asset Management Inc. reduced its position in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 7.0% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 72,764 shares of the company's stock after selling 5,480 shares during the period. Merck & Co., Inc. comprises approximately 1.9% of Augustine Asset Management Inc.'s holdings, making the stock its 10th largest position. Augustine Asset Management Inc.'s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $6,531,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Noble Wealth Management PBC purchased a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. in the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. in the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. Promus Capital LLC bought a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. in the 4th quarter worth approximately $30,000. WealthTrak Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. in the 4th quarter worth approximately $35,000. Finally, Spurstone Advisory Services LLC bought a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. in the 4th quarter worth approximately $37,000. 76.07% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Merck & Co., Inc. Trading Up 0.1%

Shares of MRK stock opened at $78.93 on Friday. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 1 year low of $73.31 and a 1 year high of $129.93. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $79.06 and a 200-day moving average price of $87.64. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 1.41 and a quick ratio of 1.16. The company has a market cap of $198.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.49, a PEG ratio of 0.82 and a beta of 0.38.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The company reported $2.22 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.16 by $0.06. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 27.27% and a return on equity of 43.23%. The company had revenue of $15.53 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $15.59 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $2.07 EPS. Merck & Co., Inc.'s revenue for the quarter was down 1.6% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts predict that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 earnings per share for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, July 8th. Investors of record on Monday, June 16th will be paid a dividend of $0.81 per share. This represents a $3.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.10%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 16th. Merck & Co., Inc.'s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 47.16%.

Insider Activity at Merck & Co., Inc.

In related news, SVP Dalton E. Smart III sold 4,262 shares of Merck & Co., Inc. stock in a transaction 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 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 filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 0.13% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have commented on MRK shares. Cantor Fitzgerald downgraded shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from an "overweight" rating to a "cautious" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 20th. 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. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, April 25th. Finally, Guggenheim reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $115.00 target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Thursday, April 17th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have assigned a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price 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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.