Merck KGaA (OTCMKTS:MKGAF) Short Interest Update

Merck KGaA (OTCMKTS:MKGAF) saw a significant increase in short interest during the month of October. As of October 15th, there was short interest totalling 237,800 shares, an increase of 22.8% from the September 30th total of 193,700 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 500 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 475.6 days.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, The Goldman Sachs Group raised shares of Merck KGaA to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, September 19th.

Merck KGaA Stock Performance

Merck KGaA stock traded up $0.55 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $162.98. The company had a trading volume of 634 shares, compared to its average volume of 533. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $178.69 and its 200 day simple moving average is $176.07. Merck KGaA has a 52 week low of $144.73 and a 52 week high of $200.56. The company has a current ratio of 1.31, a quick ratio of 0.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27. The firm has a market capitalization of $21.06 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.93 and a beta of 0.96.

Merck KGaA (OTCMKTS:MKGAF) last released its earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The company reported $1.51 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. Merck KGaA had a net margin of 12.60% and a return on equity of 10.17%. The company had revenue of $5.76 billion during the quarter. Sell-side analysts forecast that Merck KGaA will post 9.75 earnings per share for the current fiscal 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.