Puzo Michael J Reduces Position in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK)

Puzo Michael J trimmed its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 1.3% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 17,958 shares of the company’s stock after selling 245 shares during the period. Puzo Michael J’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $1,612,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Wendell David Associates Inc. grew its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 9.4% during the 1st quarter. Wendell David Associates Inc. now owns 54,909 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,929,000 after acquiring an additional 4,740 shares during the period. PKO Investment Management Joint Stock Co raised its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 23.9% during the 1st quarter. PKO Investment Management Joint Stock Co now owns 52,892 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,748,000 after acquiring an additional 10,216 shares during the period. Rakuten Securities Inc. lifted its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 15.2% during the first quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 3,962 shares of the company’s stock valued at $356,000 after purchasing an additional 522 shares in the last quarter. Bfsg LLC boosted its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 3.9% in the first quarter. Bfsg LLC now owns 34,185 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,068,000 after purchasing an additional 1,294 shares during the period. Finally, Lesa Sroufe & Co purchased a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the first quarter worth $458,000. 76.07% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Merck & Co., Inc. Price Performance

MRK stock opened at $78.36 on Wednesday. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 52 week low of $73.31 and a 52 week high of $134.63. The firm has a market capitalization of $196.77 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.41, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.84 and a beta of 0.38. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $78.90 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $88.89. The company has a quick ratio of 1.16, a current ratio of 1.41 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69.

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, beating the consensus estimate of $2.16 by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $15.53 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $15.59 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 27.27% and a return on equity of 43.23%. The business’s revenue was down 1.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $2.07 EPS. Analysts anticipate that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, July 8th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 16th will be issued a $0.81 dividend. This represents a $3.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.13%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 16th. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 47.16%.

Insider Activity

In other news, SVP Dalton E. Smart III sold 4,262 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated 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 approximately $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 can be accessed through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.09% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms recently weighed in on MRK. Guggenheim restated a “buy” rating and set a $115.00 target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Thursday, April 17th. Cantor Fitzgerald cut Merck & Co., Inc. from an “overweight” rating to a “cautious” rating in a report on Tuesday, May 20th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered Merck & Co., Inc. from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and dropped their price objective for the stock from $128.00 to $105.00 in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. Wall Street Zen cut Merck & Co., Inc. from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, April 25th. Finally, Citigroup reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $84.00 price target (down from $115.00) on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Wednesday, May 14th. 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 given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Merck & Co., Inc. currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $109.19.

Merck & Co., Inc. Company 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.