Merck KGaA (OTCMKTS:MKKGY) Sees Significant Drop in Short Interest

Merck KGaA (OTCMKTS:MKKGY - Get Free Report) was the recipient of a large drop in short interest during the month of May. As of May 31st, there was short interest totalling 75,400 shares, a drop of 25.1% from the May 15th total of 100,700 shares. Currently, 0.0% of the company's shares are short sold. Based on an average trading volume of 237,200 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 0.3 days.

Merck KGaA Trading Up 1.2%

Shares of OTCMKTS:MKKGY traded up $0.30 during trading on Friday, reaching $25.41. The company's stock had a trading volume of 117,135 shares, compared to its average volume of 178,115. The company has a current ratio of 1.31, a quick ratio of 0.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23. Merck KGaA has a 12 month low of $24.32 and a 12 month high of $39.17. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $26.78 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $28.07. The stock has a market capitalization of $16.42 billion, a PE ratio of 12.03, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.89 and a beta of 0.94.

Merck KGaA (OTCMKTS:MKKGY - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 15th. The company reported $0.59 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.50 by $0.09. Merck KGaA had a net margin of 13.23% and a return on equity of 9.61%. The firm had revenue of $5.89 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.32 billion. On average, research analysts predict that Merck KGaA will post 1.87 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Merck KGaA Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, May 7th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 30th were paid a $0.3382 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, April 29th. This represents a yield of 1.25%. This is an increase from Merck KGaA's previous dividend of $0.32. Merck KGaA's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 16.11%.

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.