Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) Shares Sold by First Bank & Trust

First Bank & Trust lessened its position in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 12.4% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 5,566 shares of the company’s stock after selling 790 shares during the period. First Bank & Trust’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $500,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Barnes Dennig Private Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. in the 1st quarter valued at about $27,000. Promus Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $30,000. WealthTrak Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. during the fourth quarter worth approximately $35,000. MorganRosel Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. during the first quarter worth approximately $36,000. Finally, Spurstone Advisory Services LLC acquired a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. in the fourth quarter worth approximately $37,000. 76.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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 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 transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 7,778 shares in the company, valued at approximately $643,707.28. This represents a 35.40% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.09% of the company’s stock.

Merck & Co., Inc. Price Performance

Shares of NYSE MRK opened at $81.75 on Wednesday. Merck & Co., Inc. has a twelve month low of $73.31 and a twelve month high of $129.93. The company has a market cap of $205.28 billion, a PE ratio of 11.90, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.82 and a beta of 0.39. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $79.14 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $87.35. 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 issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 24th. The company reported $2.22 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.16 by $0.06. The company had revenue of $15.53 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $15.59 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 43.23% and a net margin of 27.27%. The business’s revenue was down 1.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $2.07 earnings per share. On average, analysts predict that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 EPS for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, July 8th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 16th will be issued a $0.81 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 16th. This represents a $3.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.96%. Merck & Co., Inc.’s payout ratio is presently 47.16%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Guggenheim restated a “buy” rating and set a $115.00 price objective 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 report on Tuesday, May 20th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, April 25th. Finally, Citigroup reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $84.00 price objective (down previously from $115.00) on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Wednesday, May 14th. One 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 company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target 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.