Merck KGaA (OTCMKTS:MKKGY) Sees Large Growth in Short Interest

Merck KGaA (OTCMKTS:MKKGY) saw a significant growth in short interest in October. As of October 15th, there was short interest totaling 146,247 shares, a growth of 273.6% from the September 30th total of 39,149 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 182,220 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 0.8 days. Approximately 0.0% of the company’s stock are short sold.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on the company. UBS Group downgraded Merck KGaA from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, August 20th. Zacks Research lowered Merck KGaA from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Monday, October 12th. Finally, HSBC upgraded Merck KGaA to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, July 6th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Reduce”.

Merck KGaA Stock Up 1.0%

Merck KGaA stock traded up $0.32 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $32.56. 31,423 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 97,241. Merck KGaA has a 52-week low of $23.73 and a 52-week high of $34.19. The stock has a market capitalization of $21.04 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.79, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.03 and a beta of 0.95. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $31.45 and its 200-day moving average price is $29.87. The company has a quick ratio of 1.09, a current ratio of 1.69 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37.

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.