Merck KGaA (OTCMKTS:MKKGY) Short Interest Update

Key Points

• Short interest rose 20.3% in March to 99,142 shares as of March 31, but still represents 0.0% of shares short and a short‑interest ratio of just 0.2 days given high average daily volume.
• Merck KGaA missed quarterly expectations, reporting EPS of $0.28 versus $0.47 expected and revenue of $6.11 billion versus $6.20 billion, while analysts forecast 1.87 EPS for the year.
• Shares traded up 3.7% to $27.99 (market cap ~$18.09B, P/E 12.44), and the analyst consensus is Hold after recent rating moves including a Deutsche Bank downgrade.

Merck KGaA (OTCMKTS:MKKGY - Get Free Report) was the target of a significant increase in short interest in the month of March. As of March 31st, there was short interest totaling 99,142 shares, an increase of 20.3% from the March 15th total of 82,383 shares. Currently, 0.0% of the company's shares are short sold. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 433,191 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 0.2 days.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms recently issued reports on MKKGY. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered shares of Merck KGaA from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded shares of Merck KGaA to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, March 19th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Hold".

Merck KGaA Stock Up 3.7%

Shares of MKKGY traded up $0.99 on Friday, reaching $27.99. The company's stock had a trading volume of 15,455 shares, compared to its average volume of 124,274. The company has a current ratio of 1.46, a quick ratio of 0.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37. Merck KGaA has a twelve month low of $23.73 and a twelve month high of $31.00. The stock has a market capitalization of $18.09 billion, a PE ratio of 12.44, a PEG ratio of 2.46 and a beta of 1.02. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $27.07 and a 200-day moving average of $27.58.

Merck KGaA (OTCMKTS:MKKGY - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, March 5th. The company reported $0.28 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.47 by ($0.19). Merck KGaA had a return on equity of 9.03% and a net margin of 12.31%.The business had revenue of $6.11 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.20 billion. Equities analysts predict 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.

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