Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) Shares Sold by Morse Asset Management Inc

Morse Asset Management Inc trimmed its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 19.0% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 22,204 shares of the company's stock after selling 5,200 shares during the quarter. Morse Asset Management Inc's holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $2,209,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in MRK. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. grew its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 28.0% in the fourth quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 1,911 shares of the company's stock valued at $190,000 after purchasing an additional 418 shares during the period. Czech National Bank grew its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 6.2% during the fourth quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 548,475 shares of the company's stock valued at $54,562,000 after acquiring an additional 32,108 shares during the period. Matrix Trust Co boosted its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 5.4% in the fourth quarter. Matrix Trust Co now owns 15,768 shares of the company's stock worth $1,569,000 after buying an additional 808 shares during the period. Clark & Stuart Inc purchased a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the fourth quarter worth about $9,255,000. Finally, Winthrop Advisory Group LLC boosted its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 6.2% in the fourth quarter. Winthrop Advisory Group LLC now owns 8,932 shares of the company's stock worth $889,000 after buying an additional 522 shares during the period. 76.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Transactions at Merck & Co., Inc.

In related news, SVP Dalton E. Smart III sold 4,262 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 7,778 shares in the company, valued at $643,707.28. This trade represents a 35.40% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.13% of the company's stock.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Up 5.7%

Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. stock opened at $80.28 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 1.36, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.79. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $85.01 and its 200-day simple moving average is $92.97. The stock has a market capitalization of $201.58 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.93, a PEG ratio of 0.77 and a beta of 0.43. Merck & Co., Inc. has a twelve month low of $75.82 and a twelve month high of $134.63.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last announced 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. The business had revenue of $15.53 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $15.59 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 45.35% and a net margin of 26.67%. The business's quarterly revenue was down 1.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.07 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 earnings per share for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. announced that its board has approved a stock repurchase plan on Tuesday, January 28th that allows the company to repurchase $10.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the company to repurchase up to 4.1% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are often an indication that the company's board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MRK has been the subject of several analyst reports. TD Cowen downgraded Merck & Co., Inc. from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and decreased their target price for the stock from $121.00 to $100.00 in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Morgan Stanley cut their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $113.00 to $106.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. BMO Capital Markets cut their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $105.00 to $96.00 and set a "market perform" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. Citigroup cut their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $125.00 to $115.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. Finally, Bank of America cut their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $118.00 to $112.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. Twelve equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and three have assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Merck & Co., Inc. presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $111.13.

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.

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