Merck KGaA (OTCMKTS:MKKGY) Trading 0.3% Higher - Here's What Happened

Key Points

• Merck KGaA shares traded up 0.3% during Thursday's session, reaching a high of $26.89 and closing at $26.85, with trading volume increasing by 115% from average levels.
• Analysts have given Merck KGaA a consensus rating of "Hold", with recent upgrades and downgrades reflecting mixed outlooks on the stock's performance.
• The company reported earnings of $0.57 per share, exceeding estimates, with revenue of $6.11 billion for the quarter, outperforming analyst predictions.

Shares of Merck KGaA (OTCMKTS:MKKGY - Get Free Report) traded up 0.3% during trading on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $26.89 and last traded at $26.85. 355,347 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 115% from the average session volume of 165,196 shares. The stock had previously closed at $26.76.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Merck KGaA to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, August 8th. Barclays downgraded shares of Merck KGaA from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, August 19th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, Merck KGaA currently has a consensus rating of "Hold".

Merck KGaA Price Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22, a current ratio of 1.24 and a quick ratio of 0.78. The firm has a market cap of $17.35 billion, a PE ratio of 11.28, a P/E/G ratio of 3.29 and a beta of 0.95. The business's fifty day moving average is $26.14 and its 200-day moving average is $26.26.

Merck KGaA (OTCMKTS:MKKGY - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, August 7th. The company reported $0.57 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.51 by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $6.11 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.34 billion. Merck KGaA had a net margin of 13.49% and a return on equity of 9.78%. On average, research analysts predict that Merck KGaA will post 1.87 earnings per share 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.

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