Merck KGaA (OTCMKTS:MKKGY) Shares Gap Down – Here’s Why

Merck KGaA (OTCMKTS:MKKGY)’s stock price gapped down prior to trading on Tuesday . The stock had previously closed at $31.15, but opened at $29.77. Merck KGaA shares last traded at $29.82, with a volume of 2,081 shares traded.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. HSBC upgraded shares of Merck KGaA to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, July 6th. Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on Merck KGaA in a research report on Tuesday, May 26th. They issued a “hold” rating for the company. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold”.

Merck KGaA Trading Up 0.2%

The company has a quick ratio of 1.00, a current ratio of 1.51 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36. The stock has a market capitalization of $19.86 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.66, a PEG ratio of 2.74 and a beta of 1.00. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $31.00 and its 200 day simple moving average is $28.91.

Merck KGaA (OTCMKTS:MKKGY) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 13th. The company reported $0.59 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.45 by $0.14. Merck KGaA had a net margin of 12.07% and a return on equity of 8.79%. The company had revenue of $6.03 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.93 billion. Equities research 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.