Security National Bank Has $2.61 Million Stock Holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK)

Security National Bank decreased its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 59.0% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 29,025 shares of the company's stock after selling 41,789 shares during the period. Security National Bank's holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $2,605,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Inman Jager Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 12.3% in the 1st quarter. Inman Jager Wealth Management LLC now owns 15,461 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,388,000 after purchasing an additional 1,695 shares in the last quarter. Live Oak Investment Partners lifted its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 3.9% during the 1st quarter. Live Oak Investment Partners now owns 7,747 shares of the company's stock valued at $695,000 after purchasing an additional 288 shares during the last quarter. Alpine Bank Wealth Management bought a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. during the 1st quarter valued at about $1,258,000. HBK Sorce Advisory LLC boosted its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 3.6% in the first quarter. HBK Sorce Advisory LLC now owns 50,728 shares of the company's stock valued at $4,553,000 after buying an additional 1,783 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Golden State Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 145.3% during the first quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC now owns 17,073 shares of the company's stock worth $1,533,000 after buying an additional 10,113 shares during the last quarter. 76.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on MRK. 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 note on Wednesday, May 14th. Cantor Fitzgerald cut Merck & Co., Inc. from an "overweight" rating to a "cautious" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 20th. Wall Street Zen lowered Merck & Co., Inc. from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, April 25th. Finally, Guggenheim restated a "buy" rating and issued a $115.00 target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Thursday, April 17th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have given a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $109.19.

Merck & Co., Inc. Trading Down 0.9%

NYSE:MRK traded down $0.73 on Thursday, hitting $78.94. 13,735,255 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 13,119,442. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 1.16 and a current ratio of 1.41. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 52 week low of $73.31 and a 52 week high of $133.43. The stock has a market capitalization of $198.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.49, a P/E/G ratio of 0.83 and a beta of 0.38. The company's 50-day moving average price is $79.02 and its 200 day moving average price is $88.05.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The company reported $2.22 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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 business had revenue of $15.53 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $15.59 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $2.07 earnings per share. Merck & Co., Inc.'s revenue for the quarter was down 1.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 earnings per share for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

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

Insider Activity

In other news, SVP Dalton E. Smart III sold 4,262 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Friday, April 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $82.76, for a total transaction of $352,723.12. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly 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 is available through this hyperlink. 0.13% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.