Teacher Retirement System of Texas Cuts Stock Holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Teacher Retirement System of Texas decreased its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 6.9% during the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 1,063,054 shares of the company’s stock after selling 78,327 shares during the period. Teacher Retirement System of Texas’ holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $84,151,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in MRK. Brighton Jones LLC increased its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 29.5% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 38,278 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,808,000 after purchasing an additional 8,710 shares during the period. Capital Advisors Wealth Management LLC increased its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 4.9% during the 1st quarter. Capital Advisors Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,506 shares of the company’s stock valued at $315,000 after purchasing an additional 165 shares during the period. Convergence Financial LLC increased its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 5.3% during the 1st quarter. Convergence Financial LLC now owns 10,063 shares of the company’s stock valued at $903,000 after purchasing an additional 503 shares during the period. Aljian Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.4% in the 1st quarter. Aljian Capital Management LLC now owns 6,140 shares of the company’s stock valued at $551,000 after buying an additional 141 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Joel Isaacson & Co. LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 6.1% in the 1st quarter. Joel Isaacson & Co. LLC now owns 29,448 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,643,000 after buying an additional 1,689 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.07% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on MRK. Citigroup began coverage on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Monday, October 13th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $95.00 price target on the stock. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Saturday. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on shares of 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. Berenberg Bank cut shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and lowered their price target for the company from $100.00 to $90.00 in a report on Wednesday, September 17th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on shares of 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. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have assigned a Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $104.33.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Up 0.4%

MRK stock opened at $87.54 on Monday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $84.43 and a 200 day moving average of $81.55. The stock has a market capitalization of $218.65 billion, a PE ratio of 13.49, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.96 and a beta of 0.37. The company has a quick ratio of 1.17, a current ratio of 1.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 52 week low of $73.31 and a 52 week high of $106.49.

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

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.