Merck KGaA (OTCMKTS:MKKGY) Reaches New 12-Month Low - Time to Sell?

Key Points

• Shares hit a new 52-week low, trading as low as $23.7330 and last at $23.92 on volume of 248,899, well below the 50‑day ($28.51) and 200‑day ($27.59) moving averages.
• Analyst consensus is a Hold rating (four analysts), with Sanford C. Bernstein upgrading to Hold and Deutsche Bank downgrading from Buy to Hold.
• The company reported an earnings miss—Q quarterly EPS $0.28 vs. $0.47 est. and revenue $6.11B vs. $6.20B est.—and trades with a market cap of $15.46B and a P/E of 10.63.

Shares of Merck KGaA (OTCMKTS:MKKGY - Get Free Report) hit a new 52-week low during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as low as $23.7330 and last traded at $23.92, with a volume of 248899 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $23.90.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have commented on MKKGY. Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded Merck KGaA to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, March 19th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft downgraded Merck KGaA from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold".

Merck KGaA Stock Performance

The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $28.51 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $27.59. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36, a quick ratio of 0.97 and a current ratio of 1.49. The stock has a market cap of $15.46 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.63, a P/E/G ratio of 2.13 and a beta of 0.96.

Merck KGaA (OTCMKTS:MKKGY - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, March 5th. The company reported $0.28 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.47 by ($0.19). Merck KGaA had a return on equity of 9.02% and a net margin of 12.31%.The business had revenue of $6.11 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.20 billion. Analysts expect that Merck KGaA will post 1.87 EPS for the current fiscal 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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