Carl Domino lowered its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 7.1% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 34,856 shares of the company’s stock after selling 2,655 shares during the period. Merck & Co. makes up 1.4% of Carl Domino’s portfolio, making the stock its 24th largest position. Carl Domino’s holdings in Merck & Co. were worth $1,841,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of MRK. Beacon Capital Management raised its stake in Merck & Co. by 1.0% in the fourth quarter. Beacon Capital Management now owns 206 shares of the company’s stock valued at $11,000 after buying an additional 2 shares during the period. Jay D. Rosenbaum bought a new position in Merck & Co. during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $211,000. Hilton Capital Management increased its position in Merck & Co. by 1.3% in the fourth quarter. Hilton Capital Management now owns 4,607 shares of the company’s stock valued at $243,000 after buying an additional 60 shares in the last quarter. Alpha Windward increased its position in Merck & Co. by 12.3% in the fourth quarter. Alpha Windward now owns 4,899 shares of the company’s stock valued at $259,000 after buying an additional 537 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Stillwater Investment Management increased its position in Merck & Co. by 0.9% in the fourth quarter. Stillwater Investment Management now owns 5,626 shares of the company’s stock valued at $297,000 after buying an additional 50 shares in the last quarter.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) opened at 50.67 on Friday. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 12-month low of $45.69 and a 12-month high of $61.70. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $51.88 and a 200-day moving average of $53.65. The company has a market cap of $141.55 billion and a PE ratio of 13.44.

Merck & Co. (NYSE:MRK) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, October 27th. The company reported $0.96 EPS for the quarter, topping the Zacks’ consensus estimate of $0.91 by $0.05. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.90 earnings per share. The business had revenue of $10.10 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $10.11 billion. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 4.3% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Merck & Co., Inc. will post $3.57 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 8th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 15th were paid a dividend of $0.46 per share. This represents a $1.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.63%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, December 11th. This is a positive change from Merck & Co.’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.45.

Several equities analysts have commented on the stock. Vetr downgraded shares of Merck & Co. from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating and set a $52.99 price objective on the stock. in a report on Tuesday, November 3rd. Berenberg Bank assumed coverage on shares of Merck & Co. in a report on Tuesday, November 24th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $61.00 price objective on the stock. Credit Suisse decreased their price objective on shares of Merck & Co. from $61.00 to $59.00 in a report on Thursday, December 17th. Jefferies Group upped their price objective on shares of Merck & Co. to $55.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 18th. Finally, Argus decreased their price objective on shares of Merck & Co. from $70.00 to $65.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, November 17th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. The company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $60.73.

In other news, Director Wendell P. Weeks sold 5,000 shares of Merck & Co. stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $55.53, for a total transaction of $277,650.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 100 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,553. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website.

Merck & Co., Inc. is a global health care company. The Company offers health solutions through its prescription medicines, vaccines, biologic therapies and animal health products, which it markets directly and through its joint ventures. The Company’s Pharmaceutical segment includes human health pharmaceutical and vaccine products marketed either directly by the Company or through joint ventures. Human health pharmaceutical products consist of therapeutic and preventive agents, generally sold by prescription, for the treatment of human disorders. The Company sells these human health pharmaceutical products primarily to drug wholesalers and retailers, hospitals, government agencies and managed health care providers. The Animal Health segment discovers, develops, manufactures and markets animal health products, including vaccines. The Company’s animal health products are sold to veterinarians, distributors and animal producers.

12 Month Chart for NYSE:MRK

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