Merck KGaA (OTCMKTS:MKKGY) Sees Unusually-High Trading Volume - Should You Buy?

Key Points

• Shares of Merck KGaA experienced an unusual volume spike — 286,679 shares traded mid-day (a 175% increase from the prior session) and the stock last traded at $25.04 versus a prior close of $24.57.
• Deutsche Bank downgraded the stock from "buy" to "hold," and the consensus rating is currently "Hold" (three analysts).
• Merck KGaA missed quarterly estimates with EPS of $0.28 vs. $0.47 expected and revenue of $6.11B vs. $6.20B expected; the stock trades below its 50-day and 200-day moving averages ($29.25 and $27.63) and has a P/E of 11.12 and market cap of about $16.16B.

Shares of Merck KGaA (OTCMKTS:MKKGY - Get Free Report) saw an uptick in trading volume on Monday . 286,679 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 175% from the previous session's volume of 104,228 shares.The stock last traded at $25.04 and had previously closed at $24.57.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut shares of Merck KGaA from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold".

Merck KGaA Price Performance

The stock has a 50-day moving average of $29.25 and a two-hundred day moving average of $27.63. The firm has a market cap of $16.16 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.12, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.14 and a beta of 0.96. The company has a current ratio of 1.49, a quick ratio of 0.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36.

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

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.