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

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on MKKGY shares. Zacks Research raised Merck KGaA from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 22nd. Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on Merck KGaA in a research note on Tuesday, May 26th. They issued a “hold” rating on the stock. Finally, HSBC upgraded Merck KGaA to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, July 6th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold”.

Merck KGaA Stock Performance

Shares of Merck KGaA stock traded up $0.18 on Tuesday, reaching $31.74. 44,233 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 97,141. The firm has a market capitalization of $20.51 billion, a PE ratio of 16.36, a PEG ratio of 2.61 and a beta of 0.98. Merck KGaA has a 1-year low of $23.73 and a 1-year high of $34.19. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $32.18 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $29.30. The company has a current ratio of 1.51, a quick ratio of 1.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36.

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.