ACR Alpine Capital Research LLC Acquires 5,587 Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK)

ACR Alpine Capital Research LLC increased its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 20.3% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 33,126 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 5,587 shares during the period. Merck & Co., Inc. makes up about 0.1% of ACR Alpine Capital Research LLC's holdings, making the stock its 24th biggest position. ACR Alpine Capital Research LLC's holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $2,973,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in MRK. Barnes Dennig Private Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. in the first quarter worth approximately $27,000. WealthTrak Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the fourth quarter worth approximately $35,000. MorganRosel Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the first quarter worth approximately $36,000. Spurstone Advisory Services LLC acquired a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the fourth quarter worth approximately $37,000. Finally, Hurley Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the fourth quarter worth approximately $40,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.07% of the company's stock.

Merck & Co., Inc. Price Performance

NYSE:MRK traded up $0.24 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $84.22. 8,010,438 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 14,603,624. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 52 week low of $73.31 and a 52 week high of $128.73. The business's fifty day simple moving average is $79.85 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $85.42. The company has a quick ratio of 1.16, a current ratio of 1.41 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. The firm has a market cap of $211.48 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.26, a P/E/G ratio of 0.88 and a beta of 0.39.

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 analysts' consensus estimates of $2.16 by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $15.53 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $15.59 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 43.23% and a net margin of 27.27%. The company's revenue for the quarter was down 1.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $2.07 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, October 7th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 15th will be given a dividend of $0.81 per share. This represents a $3.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.85%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 15th. Merck & Co., Inc.'s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 47.16%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $99.00 to $98.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, July 10th. Wall Street Zen lowered Merck & Co., Inc. from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, April 25th. Guggenheim reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $115.00 target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Thursday, April 17th. Cantor Fitzgerald lowered Merck & Co., Inc. from an "overweight" rating to a "cautious" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 20th. Finally, Citigroup reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and set a $84.00 target price (down 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 given a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, Merck & Co., Inc. presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $108.69.

Insider Activity

In other 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 completion of the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 7,778 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $643,707.28. The trade was a 35.40% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.13% of the company's stock.

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.