Cantor Fitzgerald Investment Advisors L.P. Sells 33,765 Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK)

Cantor Fitzgerald Investment Advisors L.P. lessened its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 18.6% during the first quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 147,841 shares of the company’s stock after selling 33,765 shares during the quarter. Cantor Fitzgerald Investment Advisors L.P.’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $13,270,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Proathlete Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. during the first quarter valued at about $86,000. Good Steward Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $688,000. Investment Research & Advisory Group Inc. boosted its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 13.6% in the 1st quarter. Investment Research & Advisory Group Inc. now owns 2,798 shares of the company’s stock worth $251,000 after buying an additional 336 shares during the period. Clark & Stuart Inc grew its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 16.5% in the 1st quarter. Clark & Stuart Inc now owns 107,555 shares of the company’s stock valued at $9,739,000 after buying an additional 15,223 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Walter & Keenan Wealth Management LLC IN ADV raised its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 1.3% during the 1st quarter. Walter & Keenan Wealth Management LLC IN ADV now owns 33,561 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,012,000 after acquiring an additional 447 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 76.07% of the company’s stock.

Merck & Co., Inc. Trading Up 1.3%

NYSE MRK opened at $79.26 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.16, a current ratio of 1.41 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $78.89 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $88.67. Merck & Co., Inc. has a twelve month low of $73.31 and a twelve month high of $134.63. The company has a market capitalization of $199.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.54, a PEG ratio of 0.82 and a beta of 0.38.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 24th. The company reported $2.22 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.16 by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $15.53 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $15.59 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 43.23% and a net margin of 27.27%. The company’s revenue was down 1.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $2.07 EPS. Research analysts forecast that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, July 8th. Stockholders 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.09%. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 47.16%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, SVP Dalton E. Smart III sold 4,262 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, April 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $82.76, for a total transaction of $352,723.12. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 7,778 shares in the company, valued at $643,707.28. This trade represents a 35.40% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 0.13% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on the company. Citigroup reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $84.00 price target (down from $115.00) on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Wednesday, May 14th. Cantor Fitzgerald downgraded Merck & Co., Inc. from an “overweight” rating to a “cautious” rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 20th. Guggenheim reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $115.00 target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Thursday, April 17th. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, April 25th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have given a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average 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.