Short Interest in Merck KGaA (OTCMKTS:MKKGY) Drops By 39.8%

Merck KGaA (OTCMKTS:MKKGY) saw a significant drop in short interest in July. As of July 31st, there was short interest totaling 5,810 shares, a drop of 39.8% from the July 15th total of 9,648 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 69,955 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 0.1 days. Approximately 0.0% of the company’s stock are sold short.

Merck KGaA Stock Performance

OTCMKTS MKKGY traded up $0.18 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $31.74. The company had a trading volume of 44,233 shares, compared to its average volume of 97,141. The business has a 50 day moving average of $32.18 and a 200-day moving average of $29.30. The company has a market cap of $20.51 billion, a PE ratio of 16.36, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.61 and a beta of 0.98. Merck KGaA has a 1-year low of $23.73 and a 1-year high of $34.19. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36, a quick ratio of 1.00 and a current ratio of 1.51.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have recently issued reports on MKKGY. HSBC raised Merck KGaA to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, July 6th. Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on Merck KGaA in a report on Tuesday, May 26th. They issued a “hold” rating for the company. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded shares of Merck KGaA from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 22nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold”.

About Merck KGaA

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.