Merck KGaA (OTCMKTS:MKKGY) Sees Large Decrease in Short Interest

Key Points

• Merck KGaA experienced a significant drop in short interest, falling by 38.0% in September, reducing the total to 67,900 shares.
• The company reported a quarterly earnings per share (EPS) of $0.57, exceeding analysts' expectations, with revenue of $6.11 billion.
• Analyst recommendations for Merck KGaA currently average a rating of "Hold", following recent upgrades and downgrades from various research firms.

Merck KGaA (OTCMKTS:MKKGY - Get Free Report) was the recipient of a significant drop in short interest in the month of September. As of September 15th, there was short interest totaling 67,900 shares, a drop of 38.0% from the August 31st total of 109,600 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 216,600 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 0.3 days. Based on an average daily volume of 216,600 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 0.3 days.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MKKGY has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Zacks Research upgraded Merck KGaA to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, August 8th. Barclays downgraded shares of Merck KGaA from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, August 19th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold".

Merck KGaA Price Performance

OTCMKTS:MKKGY traded up $0.83 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $28.42. 108,948 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 125,771. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22, a quick ratio of 0.78 and a current ratio of 1.24. The company has a market cap of $18.37 billion, a PE ratio of 11.94, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.50 and a beta of 0.95. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $25.68 and its 200 day simple moving average is $26.28. Merck KGaA has a 1 year low of $24.32 and a 1 year high of $36.16.

Merck KGaA (OTCMKTS:MKKGY - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 7th. The company reported $0.57 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.51 by $0.06. Merck KGaA had a net margin of 13.49% and a return on equity of 9.78%. The business had revenue of $6.11 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.34 billion. Sell-side analysts expect that Merck KGaA will post 1.87 EPS for the current year.

About Merck KGaA

Merck KGaA operates as a science and technology company in Germany. It operates through Life Science, Healthcare, and Electronics segments. The company's Life Science segment offers tools, chemicals, and equipment for academic labs, biotech, and pharmaceutical manufacturers, as well as industrial sector.

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