University of Texas Texas AM Investment Management Co. Has $5.36 Million Stock Holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

University of Texas Texas AM Investment Management Co. boosted its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 25.8% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 50,951 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 10,462 shares during the quarter. Merck & Co., Inc. comprises approximately 0.8% of University of Texas Texas AM Investment Management Co.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 18th biggest position. University of Texas Texas AM Investment Management Co.’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $5,363,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of MRK. Chesapeake Wealth Management lifted its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.6% during the 4th quarter. Chesapeake Wealth Management now owns 14,740 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,552,000 after buying an additional 87 shares during the last quarter. South Plains Financial Inc. grew its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.6% in the 4th quarter. South Plains Financial Inc. now owns 15,535 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,635,000 after buying an additional 89 shares during the last quarter. Syverson Strege & Co grew its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.2% in the 4th quarter. Syverson Strege & Co now owns 4,142 shares of the company’s stock valued at $436,000 after buying an additional 90 shares during the last quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. raised its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 3.1% in the 4th quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. now owns 3,142 shares of the company’s stock valued at $331,000 after acquiring an additional 93 shares during the period. Finally, Valued Wealth Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 26.9% in the 4th quarter. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 444 shares of the company’s stock valued at $47,000 after acquiring an additional 94 shares during the period. 76.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on MRK shares. Wall Street Zen upgraded Merck & Co., Inc. from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, June 6th. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $142.00 target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Monday, March 30th. Weiss Ratings cut Merck & Co., Inc. from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a report on Friday, May 15th. Zacks Research upgraded Merck & Co., Inc. from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 17th. Finally, Barclays began coverage on Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Friday, February 20th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $140.00 price objective on the stock. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $128.18.

Merck & Co., Inc. Price Performance

Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. stock opened at $115.03 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.06, a current ratio of 1.30 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.02. The stock has a market capitalization of $284.10 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.40, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.68 and a beta of 0.21. Merck & Co., Inc. has a twelve month low of $76.66 and a twelve month high of $125.14. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $116.43 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $113.38.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported ($1.28) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of ($1.47) by $0.19. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 13.59% and a return on equity of 27.55%. The firm had revenue of $16.29 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $15.85 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $2.22 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 4.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.040-5.160 EPS. Analysts forecast that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 5.17 EPS for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 8th. Investors of record on Monday, June 15th will be given a dividend of $0.85 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 15th. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.0%. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio is currently 95.77%.

About Merck & Co., Inc.

Merck & Co, Inc is a global biopharmaceutical company engaged in the discovery, development, manufacture and marketing of prescription medicines, vaccines, biologic therapies and animal health products. Its portfolio spans multiple therapeutic areas with a particular emphasis on oncology, vaccines and infectious disease, as well as therapies for metabolic and chronic conditions. Among its well-known products are the cancer immunotherapy Keytruda (pembrolizumab) and the human papillomavirus vaccine Gardasil; the company also markets a range of medicines and vaccines for veterinary use through Merck Animal Health.

Founded in the late 19th century as the U.S.