Merck KGaA (OTCMKTS:MKKGY) Shares Gap Up – Still a Buy?

Shares of Merck KGaA (OTCMKTS:MKKGY) gapped up before the market opened on Thursday . The stock had previously closed at $27.86, but opened at $29.24. Merck KGaA shares last traded at $29.1570, with a volume of 814 shares.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MKKGY has been the topic of a number of research reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered Merck KGaA from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Sanford C. Bernstein raised Merck KGaA to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, March 19th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold”.

Merck KGaA Stock Performance

The company has a quick ratio of 0.96, a current ratio of 1.46 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37. The stock has a market cap of $18.95 billion, a PE ratio of 13.04, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.51 and a beta of 0.97. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $26.06 and a 200-day moving average of $27.59.

Merck KGaA (OTCMKTS:MKKGY) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 13th. The company reported $0.59 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.45 by $0.14. The firm had revenue of $6.03 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.93 billion. Merck KGaA had a net margin of 12.07% and a return on equity of 8.93%. On average, equities analysts forecast that Merck KGaA will post 1.83 EPS for the current 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.