Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) Shares Sold by Flynn Zito Capital Management LLC

Flynn Zito Capital Management LLC lessened its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 21.6% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 3,659 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,007 shares during the period. Flynn Zito Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $364,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. New York Life Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.7% during the fourth quarter. New York Life Investment Management LLC now owns 344,002 shares of the company’s stock valued at $34,221,000 after purchasing an additional 2,278 shares during the last quarter. Apriem Advisors raised its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 17.0% during the 4th quarter. Apriem Advisors now owns 11,238 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,118,000 after buying an additional 1,632 shares during the period. Allegiance Financial Group Advisory Services LLC purchased a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. during the fourth quarter valued at about $237,000. Convergence Financial LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 10.0% in the fourth quarter. Convergence Financial LLC now owns 9,560 shares of the company’s stock worth $951,000 after buying an additional 871 shares during the period. Finally, Nwam LLC increased its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 1.1% in the fourth quarter. Nwam LLC now owns 13,584 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,351,000 after acquiring an additional 142 shares in the last quarter. 76.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Cristal N. Downing sold 2,361 shares of Merck & Co., Inc. stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $88.76, for a total value of $209,562.36. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 7,085 shares in the company, valued at $628,864.60. This trade represents a 24.99 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Director Inge G. Thulin purchased 2,833 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 6th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $88.25 per share, with a total value of $250,012.25. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now directly owns 2,933 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $258,837.25. This trade represents a 2,833.00 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Company insiders own 0.09% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently commented on the stock. Daiwa Capital Markets downgraded shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, November 11th. Morgan Stanley reduced their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $113.00 to $106.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. Hsbc Global Res upgraded Merck & Co., Inc. from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 4th. TD Securities lowered Merck & Co., Inc. from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and dropped their price target for the company from $121.00 to $100.00 in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Finally, Citigroup lowered their target price 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. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have issued a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and three have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $116.39.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Down 2.2 %

Merck & Co., Inc. stock opened at $89.39 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 1.36, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.79. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 1-year low of $81.04 and a 1-year high of $134.63. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $94.93 and its 200-day simple moving average is $103.68. The company has a market capitalization of $226.12 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.28, a P/E/G ratio of 0.77 and a beta of 0.38.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The company reported $1.72 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.85 by ($0.13). Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 26.67% and a return on equity of 45.35%. The company had revenue of $15.62 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $15.51 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $0.03 earnings per share. Merck & Co., Inc.’s quarterly revenue was up 6.8% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts forecast that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock repurchase plan on Tuesday, January 28th that allows the company to buyback $10.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization allows the company to reacquire up to 4.1% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are generally an indication that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 7th. Investors of record on Monday, March 17th will be issued a $0.81 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 17th. This represents a $3.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.62%. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 48.14%.

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.