Hengehold Capital Management LLC Has $3.80 Million Stock Holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK)

Hengehold Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 5.9% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 42,343 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,354 shares during the period. Hengehold Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $3,801,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.2% during the first quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 39,137 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,513,000 after purchasing an additional 859 shares during the last quarter. Pinion Investment Advisors LLC raised its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 14.3% in the first quarter. Pinion Investment Advisors LLC now owns 8,624 shares of the company’s stock valued at $774,000 after buying an additional 1,082 shares during the period. Compass Capital Management Inc. raised its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 22.8% in the first quarter. Compass Capital Management Inc. now owns 598,498 shares of the company’s stock valued at $53,721,000 after buying an additional 111,151 shares during the period. Cornell Pochily Investment Advisors Inc. raised its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 5.8% in the first quarter. Cornell Pochily Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 9,971 shares of the company’s stock valued at $895,000 after buying an additional 550 shares during the period. Finally, Foster Victor Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 4,240.4% during the first quarter. Foster Victor Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 104,952 shares of the company’s stock worth $9,420,000 after purchasing an additional 102,534 shares during the period. 76.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Down 0.2%

Shares of NYSE:MRK opened at $81.68 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $205.09 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.14, a P/E/G ratio of 0.77 and a beta of 0.38. The company has a quick ratio of 1.15, a current ratio of 1.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.79. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 12-month low of $73.31 and a 12-month high of $134.63. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $78.93 and a 200 day simple moving average of $89.20.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The company reported $2.22 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.16 by $0.06. The business had revenue of $15.53 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $15.59 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 45.35% and a net margin of 26.67%. Merck & Co., Inc.’s revenue for the quarter was down 1.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $2.07 EPS. Analysts predict that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 earnings per share for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Merck & Co., Inc.

In other Merck & Co., Inc. 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 completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 7,778 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $643,707.28. This trade represents a 35.40% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on MRK. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered Merck & Co., Inc. from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and lowered their target price for the stock from $128.00 to $105.00 in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. Citigroup restated a “neutral” rating and set a $84.00 price objective (down previously from $115.00) on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Wednesday, May 14th. Wall Street Zen lowered Merck & Co., Inc. from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, April 25th. Cantor Fitzgerald lowered Merck & Co., Inc. from an “overweight” rating to a “cautious” rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 20th. Finally, Guggenheim restated a “buy” rating and set a $115.00 price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Thursday, April 17th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have given a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $109.19.

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.