Merck KGaA (OTCMKTS:MKKGY) Stock Rating Upgraded by Zacks Research

Merck KGaA (OTCMKTS:MKKGY) was upgraded by stock analysts at Zacks Research from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note issued on Wednesday,Zacks.com reports.

Several other research analysts also recently weighed in on MKKGY. HSBC upgraded Merck KGaA to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, July 6th. Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on Merck KGaA in a report on Tuesday, May 26th. They set a “hold” rating on the stock. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Merck KGaA currently has a consensus rating of “Hold”.

Merck KGaA Stock Up 1.8%

MKKGY opened at $31.82 on Wednesday. The business’s fifty day moving average is $31.21 and its two-hundred day moving average is $28.97. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36, a quick ratio of 1.00 and a current ratio of 1.51. The company has a market cap of $20.57 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.14, a PEG ratio of 2.75 and a beta of 1.00. Merck KGaA has a one year low of $23.73 and a one year high of $34.19.

Merck KGaA (OTCMKTS:MKKGY) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 13th. The company reported $0.59 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.45 by $0.14. The business had revenue of $6.03 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.93 billion. Merck KGaA had a net margin of 12.07% and a return on equity of 8.79%. Analysts anticipate that Merck KGaA will post 1.87 EPS 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.