Merck KGaA (OTCMKTS:MKKGY) Shares Gap Up – Still a Buy?

Merck KGaA (OTCMKTS:MKKGY) gapped up prior to trading on Thursday . The stock had previously closed at $30.4260, but opened at $32.21. Merck KGaA shares last traded at $32.0375, with a volume of 1,768 shares changing hands.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts recently commented on MKKGY shares. Sanford C. Bernstein raised Merck KGaA to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 19th. Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on Merck KGaA in a research note on Tuesday, May 26th. They issued a “hold” rating for the company. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold”.

Merck KGaA Stock Up 3.9%

The stock has a market cap of $20.82 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.32, a PEG ratio of 2.68 and a beta of 1.02. The company has a quick ratio of 0.96, a current ratio of 1.46 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $27.12 and a 200-day simple moving average of $27.88.

Merck KGaA (OTCMKTS:MKKGY) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, May 13th. The company reported $0.59 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.45 by $0.14. The firm had revenue of $6.03 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.93 billion. Merck KGaA had a return on equity of 8.93% and a net margin of 12.07%. Analysts expect that Merck KGaA will post 1.87 EPS for the current year.

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.