Short Interest in Merck KGaA (OTCMKTS:MKGAF) Grows By 22.8%

Merck KGaA (OTCMKTS:MKGAF) was the target of a significant growth in short interest during the month of October. As of October 15th, there was short interest totalling 237,800 shares, a growth of 22.8% from the September 30th total of 193,700 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 500 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 475.6 days.

Merck KGaA Price Performance

Shares of MKGAF traded up $0.55 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $162.98. 634 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 533. The company has a current ratio of 1.31, a quick ratio of 0.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27. The stock has a market capitalization of $21.06 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.93 and a beta of 0.96. The business has a 50-day moving average of $178.69 and a 200 day moving average of $176.07. Merck KGaA has a one year low of $144.73 and a one year high of $200.56.

Merck KGaA (OTCMKTS:MKGAF) last released its 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 company had revenue of $5.76 billion during the quarter. As a group, equities analysts expect that Merck KGaA will post 9.75 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

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.