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

Merck KGaA (OTCMKTS:MKGAF - Get Free Report) was the target of a significant increase in short interest in the month of April. As of April 30th, there was short interest totalling 682,700 shares, an increase of 23.8% from the April 15th total of 551,400 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 400 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 1,706.8 days.

Merck KGaA Stock Up 1.6 %

MKGAF traded up $2.78 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $175.59. 290 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 912. The stock has a market cap of $22.69 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.98 and a beta of 0.97. Merck KGaA has a fifty-two week low of $143.46 and a fifty-two week high of $186.41. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a current ratio of 1.42 and a quick ratio of 0.89. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $167.17 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $164.17.

Merck KGaA (OTCMKTS:MKGAF - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, March 7th. The company reported $1.99 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $2.15 by ($0.16). The firm had revenue of $5.63 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.58 billion. Merck KGaA had a net margin of 13.47% and a return on equity of 12.18%. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Merck KGaA will post 9.34 EPS for the current year.

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.