Merck KGaA (OTCMKTS:MKKGY) Stock Rating Upgraded by Zacks Research

Key Points

• Zacks Research upgraded Merck KGaA from “hold” to “strong-buy,” even though the broader analyst consensus remains a “hold” overall.
• The stock rose 1.8% and was last trading at $31.82, near its 50-day average and below its 12-month high of $34.19.
• Recent earnings topped expectations, with Merck KGaA reporting $0.59 EPS on $6.03 billion in revenue, both ahead of analyst estimates.

Merck KGaA (OTCMKTS:MKKGY - Get Free Report) was upgraded by analysts at Zacks Research from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report issued on Wednesday,Zacks.com reports.

MKKGY has been the subject of a number of other reports. HSBC raised Merck KGaA to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, July 6th. Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on shares of Merck KGaA in a research note on Tuesday, May 26th. They issued a "hold" rating for the company. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Merck KGaA presently has an average rating of "Hold".

Merck KGaA Stock Up 1.8%

Shares of OTCMKTS MKKGY opened at $31.82 on Wednesday. The stock has a market cap of $20.57 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.14, a PEG ratio of 2.75 and a beta of 1.00. The company has a current ratio of 1.51, a quick ratio of 1.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36. Merck KGaA has a 12-month low of $23.73 and a 12-month high of $34.19. The business's fifty day simple moving average is $31.21 and its 200-day simple moving average is $28.97.

Merck KGaA (OTCMKTS:MKKGY - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, May 13th. The company reported $0.59 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.45 by $0.14. The firm had revenue of $6.03 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.93 billion. Merck KGaA had a return on equity of 8.79% and a net margin of 12.07%. As a group, equities analysts predict that Merck KGaA will post 1.87 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Merck KGaA Company Profile

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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