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

Merck KGaA (OTCMKTS:MKKGY - Get Free Report) was the target of a significant increase in short interest in April. As of April 15th, there was short interest totalling 115,100 shares, an increase of 87.5% from the March 31st total of 61,400 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 410,400 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 0.3 days. Approximately 0.0% of the shares of the company are short sold.

Merck KGaA Price Performance

MKKGY stock traded down $0.11 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $27.62. 68,370 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 135,065. The company has a market cap of $17.85 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.05, a P/E/G ratio of 2.05 and a beta of 0.94. Merck KGaA has a one year low of $24.32 and a one year high of $39.17. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $27.71 and a 200 day simple moving average of $29.43. The company has a current ratio of 1.33, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28.

Merck KGaA (OTCMKTS:MKKGY - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, March 6th. The company reported $0.54 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.47 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $5.78 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $5.40 billion. Merck KGaA had a net margin of 12.89% and a return on equity of 10.41%. Equities analysts forecast that Merck KGaA will post 1.87 earnings per share for the current year.

Merck KGaA Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 7th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 30th will be paid a dividend of $0.3382 per share. This is a boost from Merck KGaA's previous dividend of $0.32. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 29th. This represents a yield of 1.25%. Merck KGaA's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 17.65%.

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.