Harbour Trust & Investment Management Co Reduces Position in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK)

Harbour Trust & Investment Management Co decreased its position in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 13.0% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 4,925 shares of the company’s stock after selling 735 shares during the period. Harbour Trust & Investment Management Co’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $442,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Alterna Wealth Management Inc. grew its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 48.0% in the 1st quarter. Alterna Wealth Management Inc. now owns 3,186 shares of the company’s stock worth $286,000 after acquiring an additional 1,034 shares during the last quarter. PICTET BANK & TRUST Ltd boosted its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 7.6% during the first quarter. PICTET BANK & TRUST Ltd now owns 14,013 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,258,000 after purchasing an additional 989 shares during the period. Yukon Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the first quarter worth about $211,000. Summit Trail Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 8.6% in the first quarter. Summit Trail Advisors LLC now owns 60,835 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,508,000 after purchasing an additional 4,813 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Clear Creek Financial Management LLC increased its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 24.8% during the 1st quarter. Clear Creek Financial Management LLC now owns 6,566 shares of the company’s stock valued at $590,000 after purchasing an additional 1,303 shares during the period. 76.07% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Merck & Co., Inc. news, SVP Dalton E. Smart III sold 4,262 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction 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 directly owned 7,778 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $643,707.28. The trade was a 35.40% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 0.09% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Up 3.3%

Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. stock opened at $81.75 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 1.41 and a quick ratio of 1.16. The company has a 50-day moving average of $79.14 and a 200 day moving average of $87.35. The firm has a market cap of $205.28 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.90, a PEG ratio of 0.82 and a beta of 0.39. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 1 year low of $73.31 and a 1 year high of $129.93.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 27.27% and a return on equity of 43.23%. The business had revenue of $15.53 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $15.59 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $2.07 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was down 1.6% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have weighed in on MRK. Guggenheim reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $115.00 price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Thursday, April 17th. Citigroup restated a “neutral” rating and set a $84.00 target price (down previously from $115.00) on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Wednesday, May 14th. Cantor Fitzgerald cut shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from an “overweight” rating to a “cautious” rating in a report on Tuesday, May 20th. Finally, 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. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have issued a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Merck & Co., Inc. presently has a consensus 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.