Davis R M Inc. Sells 94,057 Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK)

Key Points

• Davis R M Inc. decreased its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 56.5% during the first quarter, now owning 72,288 shares valued at approximately $6.49 million.
• Merck recently declared a quarterly dividend of $0.81 per share, translating to an annual yield of 3.96%.
• Analysts have mixed ratings on Merck, with thirteen holding ratings, seven buying, and one issuing a sell rating, resulting in a consensus price target of $107.44.

Davis R M Inc. lowered its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 56.5% in the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 72,288 shares of the company's stock after selling 94,057 shares during the quarter. Davis R M Inc.'s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $6,489,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Brighton Jones LLC raised its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 29.5% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 38,278 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,808,000 after purchasing an additional 8,710 shares in the last quarter. American Assets Inc. acquired a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. in the fourth quarter valued at about $398,000. Diametric Capital LP acquired a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. in the fourth quarter valued at about $372,000. RFG Bristol Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. in the fourth quarter valued at about $1,046,000. Finally, Private Portfolio Partners LLC raised its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 126.6% in the fourth quarter. Private Portfolio Partners LLC now owns 10,362 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,031,000 after purchasing an additional 5,790 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.07% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts recently commented on the company. Guggenheim reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $115.00 price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Thursday, April 17th. Wall Street Zen downgraded Merck & Co., Inc. from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, April 25th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $97.00 to $90.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday. Cantor Fitzgerald cut Merck & Co., Inc. from an "overweight" rating to a "cautious" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 20th. Finally, Citigroup reiterated 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 equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have issued a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $107.44.

Merck & Co., Inc. Trading Up 1.5%

MRK stock traded up $1.15 during trading on Friday, hitting $79.27. The company had a trading volume of 11,898,764 shares, compared to its average volume of 12,513,969. The business has a 50-day moving average of $80.41 and a 200-day moving average of $84.66. Merck & Co., Inc. has a one year low of $73.31 and a one year high of $120.30. The stock has a market cap of $199.05 billion, a PE ratio of 12.21, a PEG ratio of 0.79 and a beta of 0.38. The company has a current ratio of 1.41, a quick ratio of 1.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, July 29th. The company reported $2.13 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.03 by $0.10. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 41.63% and a net margin of 25.79%. The business had revenue of $15.81 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $15.92 billion. Research analysts predict that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, October 7th. Investors of record on Monday, September 15th will be issued a $0.81 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 15th. This represents a $3.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.1%. Merck & Co., Inc.'s dividend payout ratio is presently 49.92%.

Merck & Co., Inc. 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.