Merck KGaA (OTCMKTS:MKKGY) Shares Shorted: Short Interest Up 273.6% in October

Key Points

• Merck KGaA’s short interest surged 273.6% in October to 146,247 shares, though that represented approximately 0.0% of shares outstanding and just 0.8 days of average trading volume.
• Analyst sentiment was generally cautious: five analysts rated the stock Hold and one rated it Sell, giving Merck KGaA an overall MarketBeat rating of “Reduce.”
• Shares rose 1.0% to $32.56, placing the stock near its one-year high of $34.19; Merck KGaA had a $21.04 billion market capitalization and traded at a P/E ratio of 16.79.

Merck KGaA (OTCMKTS:MKKGY - Get Free Report) saw a large increase in short interest in October. As of October 15th, there was short interest totaling 146,247 shares, an increase of 273.6% from the September 30th total of 39,149 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 182,220 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 0.8 days. Approximately 0.0% of the company's shares are sold short.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on MKKGY shares. UBS Group cut Merck KGaA from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, August 20th. Zacks Research lowered shares of Merck KGaA from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a research note on Monday, October 12th. Finally, HSBC upgraded shares of Merck KGaA to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, July 6th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Reduce".

Merck KGaA Stock Up 1.0%

Shares of OTCMKTS MKKGY traded up $0.32 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $32.56. 31,423 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 97,241. The company has a market cap of $21.04 billion, a PE ratio of 16.79, a P/E/G ratio of 3.03 and a beta of 0.95. Merck KGaA has a one year low of $23.73 and a one year high of $34.19. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $31.45 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $29.87. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37, a quick ratio of 1.09 and a current ratio of 1.69.

Merck KGaA Company Profile

Merck KGaA is a Germany-based science and technology company headquartered in Darmstadt. Founded in 1668, it is one of the world's oldest operating pharmaceutical and chemical companies. The company is separate from Merck & Co, Inc, the U.S.-based pharmaceutical company, and operates as EMD in the United States and Canada.

Merck KGaA conducts its operations through three primary business sectors: Life Science, Healthcare and Electronics. Its Life Science business supplies laboratory products, research tools, bioprocessing technologies and services used by pharmaceutical, biotechnology, academic and industrial customers.

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