Sentry LLC Sells 6,099 Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK)

Sentry LLC decreased its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 11.0% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 49,357 shares of the company's stock after selling 6,099 shares during the quarter. Merck & Co., Inc. comprises about 1.0% of Sentry LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 12th biggest holding. Sentry LLC's holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $4,910,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Darwin Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $32,000. AM Squared Ltd bought a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. during the third quarter worth $34,000. Safe Harbor Fiduciary LLC acquired a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the third quarter valued at $34,000. Peterson Financial Group Inc. bought a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the third quarter valued at about $36,000. Finally, Quarry LP acquired a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the 2nd quarter worth about $42,000. 76.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently commented on MRK shares. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $123.00 to $113.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. Sanford C. Bernstein assumed coverage on Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. They set a "market perform" rating and a $115.00 target price on the stock. HSBC upgraded Merck & Co., Inc. from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $130.00 price target for the company in a research note on Wednesday, December 4th. Daiwa America downgraded Merck & Co., Inc. from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, November 11th. Finally, Hsbc Global Res raised shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 4th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and four have given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $122.67.

Merck & Co., Inc. Price Performance

NYSE MRK traded up $0.63 on Thursday, hitting $98.91. 10,158,146 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 10,963,920. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $99.86 and a 200-day moving average of $108.06. The stock has a market cap of $250.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.74, a P/E/G ratio of 1.13 and a beta of 0.39. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 52 week low of $94.48 and a 52 week high of $134.63. 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. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 31st. The company reported $1.57 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.50 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $16.66 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $16.47 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 36.42% and a net margin of 19.23%. Merck & Co., Inc.'s revenue for the quarter was up 4.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $2.13 EPS. Analysts expect that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 7.67 earnings per share for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 7th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 17th will be paid a dividend of $0.81 per share. This represents a $3.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.28%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 17th. Merck & Co., Inc.'s payout ratio is 67.92%.

Merck & Co., Inc. announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a share repurchase plan on Tuesday, January 28th that authorizes the company to repurchase $10.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the company to buy up to 4.1% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are usually a sign that the company's board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

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.