Merck KGaA (OTCMKTS:MKKGY) Shares Gap Up – Here’s What Happened

Merck KGaA (OTCMKTS:MKKGY) gapped up prior to trading on Thursday. The stock had previously closed at $30.8850, but opened at $32.20. Merck KGaA shares last traded at $32.0840, with a volume of 1,901 shares traded.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

Merck KGaA Price Performance

The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $31.41 and its 200-day simple moving average is $30.35. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37, a current ratio of 1.69 and a quick ratio of 1.09. The company has a market capitalization of $20.85 billion, a PE ratio of 16.63, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.03 and a beta of 0.95.

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 pharmaceutical and chemical businesses. The company operates independently from Merck & Co, Inc, the U.S.-based company that uses the Merck name in the United States and Canada.

Merck KGaA operates through three primary business sectors: Life Science, Healthcare and Electronics. Its Life Science business supplies laboratory products, research tools, analytical technologies and bioprocessing solutions used by pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, academic institutions and industrial laboratories.