Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) Holdings Cut by Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA

Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA reduced its position in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 68.9% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 86,826 shares of the company's stock after selling 192,512 shares during the period. Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA's holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $7,176,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in MRK. Bellecapital International Ltd. lifted its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 11.8% in the 1st quarter. Bellecapital International Ltd. now owns 2,615 shares of the company's stock worth $235,000 after buying an additional 275 shares in the last quarter. Allen Mooney & Barnes Investment Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.9% in the 1st quarter. Allen Mooney & Barnes Investment Advisors LLC now owns 23,291 shares of the company's stock worth $2,091,000 after purchasing an additional 216 shares during the last quarter. Yarger Wealth Strategies LLC grew its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 13.6% during the 1st quarter. Yarger Wealth Strategies LLC now owns 2,883 shares of the company's stock valued at $259,000 after buying an additional 346 shares during the last quarter. Davis Investment Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the 1st quarter valued at about $658,000. Finally, Net Worth Advisory Group grew its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 10.6% during the 1st quarter. Net Worth Advisory Group now owns 15,004 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,347,000 after buying an additional 1,441 shares during the last quarter. 76.07% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Merck & Co., Inc.

In other Merck & Co., Inc. news, SVP Dalton E. Smart III sold 4,262 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, April 25th. The shares were 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 now owns 7,778 shares in the company, valued at $643,707.28. This represents 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 owned by insiders.

Merck & Co., Inc. Price Performance

MRK stock traded down $0.14 on Friday, hitting $81.68. 14,549,536 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 12,873,348. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 1-year low of $73.31 and a 1-year high of $134.63. The stock has a market cap of $205.09 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.14, a P/E/G ratio of 0.77 and a beta of 0.38. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $78.93 and a 200-day moving average of $89.11. The company has a current ratio of 1.36, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.79.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The company reported $2.22 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.16 by $0.06. The business had revenue of $15.53 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $15.59 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 26.67% and a return on equity of 45.35%. The firm's quarterly revenue was down 1.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.07 EPS. On average, analysts forecast that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, July 8th. Investors of record on Monday, June 16th will be given a $0.81 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 16th. This represents a $3.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.97%. Merck & Co., Inc.'s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 47.16%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on MRK shares. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, April 25th. Guggenheim restated a "buy" rating and issued a $115.00 target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Thursday, April 17th. Cantor Fitzgerald cut shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from an "overweight" rating to a "cautious" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 20th. Citigroup restated 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. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and decreased their target price for the stock from $128.00 to $105.00 in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have issued a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $109.19.

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.