First Financial Bankshares Inc Has $62.31 Million Holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

First Financial Bankshares Inc cut its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 17.8% in the first quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 694,223 shares of the company’s stock after selling 150,162 shares during the quarter. Merck & Co., Inc. accounts for approximately 1.3% of First Financial Bankshares Inc’s holdings, making the stock its 25th biggest holding. First Financial Bankshares Inc’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $62,313,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in MRK. Barnes Dennig Private Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the first quarter valued at about $27,000. Spurstone Advisory Services LLC bought a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the fourth quarter valued at about $37,000. MorganRosel Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the first quarter valued at about $36,000. Minot DeBlois Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the fourth quarter valued at about $45,000. Finally, Mpwm Advisory Solutions LLC bought a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the fourth quarter valued at about $45,000. 76.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Performance

MRK opened at $84.13 on Monday. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 52-week low of $73.31 and a 52-week high of $120.30. The firm has a market capitalization of $210.14 billion, a PE ratio of 12.96, a PEG ratio of 0.89 and a beta of 0.37. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 1.17 and a current ratio of 1.42. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $82.14 and its 200 day simple moving average is $82.97.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, July 29th. The company reported $2.13 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.03 by $0.10. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 41.05% and a net margin of 25.79%.The business had revenue of $15.81 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $15.92 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2025 guidance at 8.870-8.970 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, October 7th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 15th will be paid a $0.81 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 15th. This represents a $3.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.9%. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio is currently 49.92%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently commented on MRK shares. Citigroup restated 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 lowered Merck & Co., Inc. from an “overweight” rating to a “cautious” rating in a report on Tuesday, May 20th. Morgan Stanley cut their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $99.00 to $98.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, July 10th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $97.00 to $90.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, July 30th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have given a Buy rating, twelve have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $107.44.

Merck & Co., Inc. Company Profile

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.