Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) Shares Sold by Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd

Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd reduced its position in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 11.7% during the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 558,588 shares of the company's stock after selling 73,767 shares during the period. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd's holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $50,139,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Clear Creek Financial Management LLC grew its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 24.8% in the first quarter. Clear Creek Financial Management LLC now owns 6,566 shares of the company's stock worth $590,000 after purchasing an additional 1,303 shares during the last quarter. Cidel Asset Management Inc. increased its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 13.8% during the 1st quarter. Cidel Asset Management Inc. now owns 12,880 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,156,000 after buying an additional 1,566 shares in the last quarter. RKL Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 28.3% in the first quarter. RKL Wealth Management LLC now owns 13,291 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,193,000 after buying an additional 2,930 shares during the last quarter. Rovin Capital UT ADV increased its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 15.7% during the first quarter. Rovin Capital UT ADV now owns 3,387 shares of the company's stock valued at $304,000 after acquiring an additional 460 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Astoria Portfolio Advisors LLC. raised its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 128.5% in the 1st quarter. Astoria Portfolio Advisors LLC. now owns 5,076 shares of the company's stock valued at $456,000 after purchasing an additional 2,855 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.07% of the company's stock.

Merck & Co., Inc. Price Performance

Shares of NYSE MRK traded down $1.42 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $80.97. The company's stock had a trading volume of 7,732,807 shares, compared to its average volume of 13,219,257. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $79.22 and a two-hundred day moving average of $87.32. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 1.16 and a current ratio of 1.41. The stock has a market capitalization of $203.32 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.79, a P/E/G ratio of 0.85 and a beta of 0.39. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 1-year low of $73.31 and a 1-year high of $129.93.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 24th. The company reported $2.22 EPS 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 during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $15.59 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.07 EPS. Merck & Co., Inc.'s quarterly revenue was down 1.6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, July 8th. Investors of record on Monday, June 16th will be given a dividend of $0.81 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 16th. This represents a $3.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.00%. Merck & Co., Inc.'s payout ratio is 47.16%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Merck & Co., Inc. news, SVP Dalton E. Smart III sold 4,262 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Friday, April 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $82.76, for a total value of $352,723.12. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 7,778 shares in the company, valued at $643,707.28. This represents a 35.40% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 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.