Merck KGaA (OTCMKTS:MKKGY) Given Average Recommendation of "Hold" by Brokerages

Key Points

• Analyst consensus is “Hold”: Five of six covering firms rate Merck KGaA as a hold, while one recommends a strong buy. Zacks Research recently upgraded the stock to strong buy, while HSBC and Jefferies maintain hold ratings.
• Shares are near their yearly high: MKKGY opened at $33.17, compared with a 1-year range of $23.73 to $34.19, and has a $21.43 billion market capitalization.
• Quarterly results exceeded expectations: Merck KGaA reported earnings of $0.59 per share versus the $0.45 consensus estimate and revenue of $6.03 billion, above analysts’ $5.93 billion forecast.

Shares of Merck KGaA (OTCMKTS:MKKGY - Get Free Report) have earned an average rating of "Hold" from the six research firms that are covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and one has assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company.

Several research firms recently commented on MKKGY. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Merck KGaA from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 22nd. HSBC upgraded shares of Merck KGaA to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, July 6th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on shares of Merck KGaA in a research report on Tuesday, May 26th. They set a "hold" rating on the stock.

Merck KGaA Stock Performance

OTCMKTS:MKKGY opened at $33.17 on Monday. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $31.72 and a 200 day simple moving average of $29.09. The stock has a market cap of $21.43 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.74, a PEG ratio of 2.92 and a beta of 1.00. Merck KGaA has a 1-year low of $23.73 and a 1-year high of $34.19. The company has a current ratio of 1.51, a quick ratio of 1.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36.

Merck KGaA (OTCMKTS:MKKGY - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 13th. The company reported $0.59 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.45 by $0.14. Merck KGaA had a return on equity of 8.79% and a net margin of 12.07%.The firm had revenue of $6.03 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.93 billion. Research analysts anticipate that Merck KGaA will post 1.87 earnings per share for the current year.

Merck KGaA Company Profile

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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