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

Merck KGaA (OTCMKTS:MKKGY) shares gapped down before the market opened 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

A number of brokerages 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 began coverage on Merck KGaA in a research note on Tuesday, May 26th. They issued a “hold” rating on the stock. Six analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, According to MarketBeat, Merck KGaA currently has an average rating of “Hold”.

Merck KGaA Trading Up 0.2%

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

Merck KGaA (OTCMKTS:MKKGY) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 13th. The company reported $0.59 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.45 by $0.14. Merck KGaA had a net margin of 12.07% and a return on equity of 8.79%. The firm had revenue of $6.03 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.93 billion. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Merck KGaA will post 1.87 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.