Short Interest in Merck KGaA (OTCMKTS:MKKGY) Declines By 39.8%

Merck KGaA (OTCMKTS:MKKGY) was the target of a significant drop in short interest during the month of July. As of July 31st, there was short interest totaling 5,810 shares, a drop of 39.8% from the July 15th total of 9,648 shares. Approximately 0.0% of the shares of the company are short sold. Based on an average trading volume of 69,955 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 0.1 days.

Merck KGaA Stock Up 0.4%

Shares of MKKGY opened at $31.67 on Wednesday. The stock has a market cap of $20.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.33, a P/E/G ratio of 2.61 and a beta of 0.98. The company has a quick ratio of 1.00, a current ratio of 1.51 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36. Merck KGaA has a 12 month low of $23.73 and a 12 month high of $34.19. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $32.17 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $29.31.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms recently commented on MKKGY. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Merck KGaA from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 22nd. Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on shares of Merck KGaA in a research report on Tuesday, May 26th. They issued a “hold” rating on the stock. Finally, HSBC upgraded shares of Merck KGaA to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, July 6th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold”.

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.