Boston Partners Sells 3,658 Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK)

Key Points

• Boston Partners reduced its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.5%, now holding 773,135 shares worth approximately $69.4 million.
• Merck & Co., Inc. reported an EPS of $2.13 for the last quarter, exceeding estimates of $2.03, with revenues of $15.81 billion falling short of the $15.92 billion forecast.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.81 per share, yielding 3.9%, with a payout ratio of nearly 50%.

Boston Partners lessened its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 0.5% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 773,135 shares of the company's stock after selling 3,658 shares during the quarter. Boston Partners' holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $69,351,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Barnes Dennig Private Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Spurstone Advisory Services LLC bought a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. in the fourth quarter valued at $37,000. MorganRosel Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the first quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Marshall & Sterling Wealth Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. in the fourth quarter worth approximately $44,000. Finally, Minot DeBlois Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. during the 4th quarter worth approximately $45,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.07% of the company's stock.

Merck & Co., Inc. Trading Up 1.9%

NYSE:MRK traded up $1.59 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $84.35. The company had a trading volume of 10,479,282 shares, compared to its average volume of 11,960,206. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $81.18 and a 200 day moving average price of $83.31. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 1.42 and a quick ratio of 1.17. The company has a market capitalization of $210.69 billion, a PE ratio of 13.00, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.89 and a beta of 0.38. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 52 week low of $73.31 and a 52 week high of $120.30.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 29th. The company reported $2.13 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.03 by $0.10. The firm had revenue of $15.81 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $15.92 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 41.05% and a net margin of 25.79%. On average, equities research analysts predict that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, October 7th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.81 per share. This represents a $3.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 15th. Merck & Co., Inc.'s dividend payout ratio is 49.92%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have recently commented on MRK shares. Wall Street Zen lowered Merck & Co., Inc. from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, April 25th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $97.00 to $90.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, July 30th. Citigroup reissued a "neutral" rating and set a $84.00 target price (down from $115.00) on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Wednesday, May 14th. Cantor Fitzgerald cut Merck & Co., Inc. from an "overweight" rating to a "cautious" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 20th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reduced their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $99.00 to $98.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, July 10th. 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 one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $107.44.

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.