Short Interest in Merck KGaA (OTCMKTS:MKKGY) Expands By 54.0%

Merck KGaA (OTCMKTS:MKKGY) was the recipient of a significant increase in short interest in the month of August. As of August 14th, there was short interest totaling 8,948 shares, an increase of 54.0% from the July 30th total of 5,810 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 55,645 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 0.2 days. Approximately 0.0% of the shares of the company are sold short.

Merck KGaA Stock Up 0.2%

Shares of OTCMKTS:MKKGY opened at $32.33 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $20.89 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.66, a P/E/G ratio of 2.64 and a beta of 0.98. Merck KGaA has a 12-month low of $23.73 and a 12-month high of $34.19. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $32.47 and a 200 day simple moving average of $29.51. The company has a quick ratio of 1.00, a current ratio of 1.51 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have weighed in on MKKGY. Zacks Research cut shares of Merck KGaA from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 20th. HSBC upgraded Merck KGaA to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, July 6th. UBS Group lowered Merck KGaA from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 20th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on shares of Merck KGaA in a report on Tuesday, May 26th. They issued a “hold” rating for the company. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, According to data from MarketBeat, Merck KGaA has an average 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.