Merck KGaA (OTCMKTS:MKKGY) Rating Lowered to Hold at Zacks Research

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

Several other research firms also recently commented on MKKGY. HSBC upgraded Merck KGaA to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, July 6th. Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on Merck KGaA in a report on Tuesday, May 26th. They set a “hold” rating on the stock. Finally, UBS Group lowered shares of Merck KGaA from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold”.

Merck KGaA Stock Up 0.6%

Shares of MKKGY opened at $32.24 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36, a quick ratio of 1.00 and a current ratio of 1.51. 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 $20.83 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.62, a PEG ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.98. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $32.23 and a 200-day moving average of $29.36.

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.