Texas Capital Bank Wealth Management Services Inc Grows Stake in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Key Points

• Texas Capital Bank Wealth Management Services increased its Merck stake by 314.7% in the fourth quarter, ending with 17,755 shares worth about $1.87 million.
• Merck reported better-than-expected quarterly results, with EPS of -$1.28 versus the -$1.47 estimate and revenue of $16.29 billion, up 4.9% year over year.
• The company also announced a quarterly dividend of $0.85 per share, equal to an annualized yield of 2.8%, while analysts currently rate the stock a Moderate Buy with an average price target of $128.18.

Texas Capital Bank Wealth Management Services Inc increased its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 314.7% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 17,755 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 13,474 shares during the quarter. Texas Capital Bank Wealth Management Services Inc's holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $1,869,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of MRK. Kingdom Financial Group LLC. acquired a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. during the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. United Financial Planning Group LLC acquired a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. during the third quarter worth about $31,000. High Note Wealth LLC boosted its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 58.9% during the fourth quarter. High Note Wealth LLC now owns 294 shares of the company's stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 109 shares during the last quarter. Tucker Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. during the fourth quarter worth about $34,000. Finally, Wealth Watch Advisors INC acquired a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. during the third quarter worth about $34,000. 76.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Performance

Shares of MRK stock opened at $120.27 on Thursday. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $116.23 and its 200-day moving average price is $111.17. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.02, a quick ratio of 1.06 and a current ratio of 1.30. Merck & Co., Inc. has a one year low of $75.40 and a one year high of $125.14. The firm has a market cap of $297.04 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.88, a P/E/G ratio of 2.69 and a beta of 0.18.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported ($1.28) EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 period in the prior year, the business posted $2.22 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter 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. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 5.16 EPS for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 8th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 15th will be issued a $0.85 dividend. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.8%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 15th. Merck & Co., Inc.'s dividend payout ratio is currently 95.77%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MRK has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $130.00 to $145.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, April 13th. Barclays initiated coverage on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Friday, February 20th. They issued an "overweight" rating and a $140.00 target price on the stock. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a report on Friday, May 15th. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, March 17th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald boosted their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $116.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 4th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $128.18.

Merck & Co., Inc. Profile

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.

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