Rockland Trust Co. Reduces Stake in Merck & Co., Inc.

Rockland Trust Co. has reduced its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE: MRK) by 6.5% during the third quarter, according to its latest SEC filing. The company sold 31,616 shares, bringing its total holding to 458,433 shares, which now account for 2.5% of Rockland Trust Co.'s investment portfolio. At the end of the quarter, these shares were valued at $66,615,000, making Merck & Co., Inc. the ninth largest holding in the portfolio.

Other institutional investors have also adjusted their positions in Merck & Co., Inc. Polaris Financial Partners acquired a new stake worth approximately $66,000. Versant Capital Management Inc. increased its holdings by 1.5%, now owning 12,270 shares valued at $1,783,000. Stonebridge Financial Group LLC grew its stake by 1.7%, holding 8,894 shares worth $1,292,000. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. boosted its stake by 28.3% in the second quarter, now owning 105,500 shares valued at $13,557,000. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. raised its holdings by 3.7% during the second quarter, now owning 3,996,890 shares valued at $513,599,000.

Merck & Co., Inc. stock traded down 2.8% on Monday, reaching $140.28. The company has a market capitalization of $346.09 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 112.20, and a beta of 0.21. The stock has a 52-week low of $82.01 and a 52-week high of $156.92. The company reported earnings per share of ($0.13) for the last quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.26). Merck & Co., Inc. announced a quarterly dividend of $0.85, payable on October 7th, representing a yield of 2.4%.

Analysts have set a consensus price target of $146.36 for Merck & Co., Inc. Sixteen analysts have rated the stock as a 'Buy', while eleven have given it a 'Hold' rating. The company's dividend payout ratio is 272.00%. Insiders have sold a total of 228,238 shares valued at $29,977,783 over the last ninety days, with 0.17% of the stock owned by corporate insiders.