Merck KGaA (OTCMKTS:MKKGY) Sets New 1-Year Low – Time to Sell?

Merck KGaA (OTCMKTS:MKKGY)’s share price reached a new 52-week low during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The company traded as low as $23.7330 and last traded at $23.92, with a volume of 248899 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $23.90.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft downgraded shares of Merck KGaA from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 3rd. Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded Merck KGaA to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, March 19th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold”.

Merck KGaA Price Performance

The stock has a market cap of $15.83 billion, a PE ratio of 10.89, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.18 and a beta of 0.96. The company has a quick ratio of 0.97, a current ratio of 1.49 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36. The company’s fifty day moving average is $28.29 and its 200 day moving average is $27.54.

Merck KGaA (OTCMKTS:MKKGY) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, March 5th. The company reported $0.28 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.47 by ($0.19). Merck KGaA had a return on equity of 9.02% and a net margin of 12.31%.The business had revenue of $6.11 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.20 billion. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Merck KGaA will post 1.87 earnings per share 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.