Merck KGaA (OTCMKTS:MKKGY) Shares Up 0.2% - Time to Buy?

Merck KGaA (OTCMKTS:MKKGY - Get Free Report) shares rose 0.2% during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as $26.33 and last traded at $26.22. Approximately 156,967 shares traded hands during trading, an increase of 33% from the average daily volume of 118,303 shares. The stock had previously closed at $26.16.

Merck KGaA Stock Down 0.7%

The company has a market cap of $17.15 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.57, a PEG ratio of 1.99 and a beta of 0.92. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $26.44 and a 200 day moving average of $27.75. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 1.31 and a quick ratio of 0.83.

Merck KGaA (OTCMKTS:MKKGY - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 15th. The company reported $0.59 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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 for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.32 billion. Research analysts anticipate that Merck KGaA will post 1.87 earnings per share for the current year.

Merck KGaA Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, May 7th. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 30th were given a dividend of $0.3382 per share. This is a positive change from Merck KGaA's previous dividend of $0.32. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, April 29th. This represents a dividend yield of 1.25%. Merck KGaA's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 16.11%.

Merck KGaA Company Profile

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.