Merck KGaA (OTCMKTS:MKGAF) Sees Significant Growth in Short Interest

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

Merck KGaA Stock Performance

OTCMKTS MKGAF traded up $0.55 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $162.98. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 634 shares, compared to its average volume of 533. 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 has a market cap of $21.06 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.93 and a beta of 0.96. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $178.69 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $176.07. Merck KGaA has a 12 month low of $144.73 and a 12 month high of $200.56.

Merck KGaA (OTCMKTS:MKGAF) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 1st. The company reported $1.51 earnings per share for the quarter. Merck KGaA had a net margin of 12.60% and a return on equity of 10.17%. The company had revenue of $5.76 billion for the quarter. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Merck KGaA will post 9.75 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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.