Merck KGaA (OTCMKTS:MKKGY) Shares Gap Down - Here's What Happened

Key Points

• Merck KGaA shares opened at $25.66 after gapping down from a previous close of $26.43, reflecting a trading volume of only 1,066 shares.
• Following the company's latest earnings report, where Merck KGaA reported an EPS of $0.57, Zacks Research upgraded the stock to a "hold" rating.
• With a market capitalization of $16.70 billion, the company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23 and a return on equity of 9.81%, indicating a stable financial position.

Shares of Merck KGaA (OTCMKTS:MKKGY - Get Free Report) gapped down prior to trading on Monday . The stock had previously closed at $26.43, but opened at $25.66. Merck KGaA shares last traded at $25.64, with a volume of 1,066 shares traded.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have commented on MKKGY shares. Barclays cut shares of Merck KGaA from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday. Zacks Research raised shares of Merck KGaA to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, August 8th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Hold".

Merck KGaA Price Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23, a quick ratio of 0.83 and a current ratio of 1.31. The stock has a market cap of $17.01 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.06, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.19 and a beta of 0.91. The business's fifty day simple moving average is $25.87 and its 200 day simple moving average is $26.95.

Merck KGaA (OTCMKTS:MKKGY - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 7th. The company reported $0.57 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.51 by $0.06. Merck KGaA had a net margin of 13.49% and a return on equity of 9.81%. The firm had revenue of $6.11 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.34 billion. Research analysts predict that Merck KGaA will post 1.87 EPS for the current fiscal 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.