Merck KGaA (MKKGY) Projected to Post Earnings on Thursday

Key Points

• Merck KGaA is expected to report earnings before the market opens Thursday, August 6. Analysts forecast quarterly earnings of $0.47 per share on $6.08 billion in revenue.
• The company’s previous quarter exceeded expectations, with EPS of $0.59 versus the $0.45 consensus and revenue of $6.03 billion, above the $5.93 billion estimate.
• Shares opened at $32.91, near their 52-week high, while analyst sentiment remains cautious: one analyst rates the stock a Strong Buy and five rate it Hold, producing an overall “Hold” consensus.

Merck KGaA (OTCMKTS:MKKGY - Get Free Report) is expected to issue its results before the market opens on Thursday, August 6th. Analysts expect the company to post earnings of $0.47 per share and revenue of $6.0806 billion for the quarter.

Merck KGaA (OTCMKTS:MKKGY - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, May 13th. The company reported $0.59 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.45 by $0.14. Merck KGaA had a net margin of 12.07% and a return on equity of 8.79%. The company had revenue of $6.03 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.93 billion. On average, analysts expect Merck KGaA to post $2 EPS for the current fiscal year and $2 EPS for the next fiscal year.

Merck KGaA Stock Down 0.2%

Merck KGaA stock opened at $32.91 on Thursday. Merck KGaA has a fifty-two week low of $23.73 and a fifty-two week high of $34.19. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36, a quick ratio of 1.00 and a current ratio of 1.51. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $31.58 and its 200 day simple moving average is $29.05. The stock has a market cap of $21.27 billion, a PE ratio of 14.63, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.90 and a beta of 1.00.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages recently commented on MKKGY. Zacks Research raised Merck KGaA from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 22nd. Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on Merck KGaA in a research note on Tuesday, May 26th. They issued a "hold" rating for the company. Finally, HSBC raised Merck KGaA to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, July 6th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold".

About Merck KGaA

Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, commonly referred to as Merck Group, is a multinational science and technology company with origins dating back to 1668. The company develops and manufactures products and technologies across healthcare, life science and electronics applications. It is distinct from the U.S. pharmaceutical company Merck & Co; Merck KGaA is a European group headquartered in Darmstadt and is publicly listed in Germany with an OTC American depositary receipt available under the symbol MKKGY.

Merck's Healthcare business develops prescription medicines and related services focused on areas such as oncology, immunology, neurology (including therapies for multiple sclerosis) and fertility.

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