First Community Trust NA Reduces Position in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK)

First Community Trust NA cut its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK – Get Rating) by 39.3% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 1,690 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,092 shares during the quarter. First Community Trust NA’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $188,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Capital Investment Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 15.1% during the fourth quarter. Capital Investment Advisors LLC now owns 376,138 shares of the company’s stock valued at $41,733,000 after buying an additional 49,374 shares during the last quarter. First Citizens Bank & Trust Co. boosted its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 58.4% in the third quarter. First Citizens Bank & Trust Co. now owns 35,233 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,034,000 after purchasing an additional 12,993 shares during the last quarter. Security National Bank of Sioux City Iowa IA boosted its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 6.8% in the third quarter. Security National Bank of Sioux City Iowa IA now owns 3,244 shares of the company’s stock valued at $279,000 after purchasing an additional 206 shares during the last quarter. My Legacy Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 1.3% in the third quarter. My Legacy Advisors LLC now owns 11,030 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,017,000 after purchasing an additional 137 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Advisors Management Group Inc. ADV boosted its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 1.2% in the third quarter. Advisors Management Group Inc. ADV now owns 23,173 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,996,000 after purchasing an additional 277 shares during the last quarter. 72.89% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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

In other Merck & Co., Inc. news, insider Sanat Chattopadhyay sold 83,994 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, January 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $112.29, for a total value of $9,431,686.26. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 29,500 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,312,555. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In other news, EVP Steven Mizell sold 1,815 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $109.10, for a total value of $198,016.50. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 33,085 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,609,573.50. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Sanat Chattopadhyay sold 83,994 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, January 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $112.29, for a total transaction of $9,431,686.26. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 29,500 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,312,555. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 100,245 shares of company stock worth $11,168,256. Insiders own 0.29% of the company’s stock.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Down 3.0 %

MRK stock opened at $104.10 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $264.27 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.23, a PEG ratio of 1.95 and a beta of 0.34. The company has a current ratio of 1.47, a quick ratio of 1.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 12 month low of $78.63 and a 12 month high of $115.49. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $108.19 and a two-hundred day moving average of $102.15.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK – Get Rating) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 2nd. The company reported $1.62 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.56 by $0.06. The company had revenue of $13.83 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $13.66 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 24.49% and a return on equity of 43.47%. Merck & Co., Inc.’s quarterly revenue was up 2.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.80 EPS. As a group, analysts forecast that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 6.88 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 10th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, March 15th will be issued a $0.73 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 14th. This represents a $2.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.80%. Merck & Co., Inc.’s payout ratio is 51.14%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MRK has been the topic of several recent research reports. Wells Fargo & Company lowered shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and lowered their price target for the company from $120.00 to $115.00 in a report on Monday, March 13th. Cantor Fitzgerald upped their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $120.00 to $135.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, December 19th. Atlantic Securities upped their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $122.00 to $127.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 7th. Credit Suisse Group upped their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $125.00 to $126.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 7th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Monday, March 6th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $125.00 price objective for the company. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Merck & Co., Inc. has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $119.35.

About Merck & Co., Inc.

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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.