Short Interest in Merck KGaA (OTCMKTS:MKGAF) Decreases By 23.5%

Merck KGaA (OTCMKTS:MKGAF) saw a significant decrease in short interest in the month of September. As of September 30th, there was short interest totalling 193,700 shares, a decrease of 23.5% from the September 15th total of 253,200 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 200 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 968.5 days.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, The Goldman Sachs Group raised Merck KGaA to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, September 19th.

Merck KGaA Stock Performance

Shares of MKGAF stock traded down $4.47 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $166.85. The company had a trading volume of 2 shares, compared to its average volume of 552. Merck KGaA has a 52-week low of $143.46 and a 52-week high of $200.56. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27, a current ratio of 1.31 and a quick ratio of 0.84. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $182.45 and its 200 day simple moving average is $175.38. The stock has a market cap of $21.56 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.50 and a beta of 0.96.

Merck KGaA (OTCMKTS:MKGAF) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The company reported $1.51 EPS for the quarter. Merck KGaA had a return on equity of 10.17% and a net margin of 12.60%. The business had revenue of $5.76 billion during the quarter. Research analysts anticipate that Merck KGaA will post 9.75 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Merck KGaA Company Profile

Merck KGaA operates as a science and technology company in Germany. It operates through Life Science, Healthcare, and Electronics segments. The company's Life Science segment offers tools, chemicals, and equipment for academic labs, biotech, and pharmaceutical manufacturers, as well as industrial sector.