Merck KGaA (OTCMKTS:MKKGY) Given Consensus Rating of “Hold” by Analysts

Shares of Merck KGaA (OTCMKTS:MKKGY) have received a consensus recommendation of “Hold” from the six brokerages that are covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating.

Several research firms have recently weighed in on MKKGY. Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on Merck KGaA in a report on Tuesday, May 26th. They set a “hold” rating on the stock. HSBC upgraded shares of Merck KGaA to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded shares of Merck KGaA to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 19th.

Merck KGaA Stock Down 1.3%

Shares of OTCMKTS:MKKGY opened at $31.98 on Thursday. Merck KGaA has a 52-week low of $23.73 and a 52-week high of $34.19. The company has a market capitalization of $20.66 billion, a PE ratio of 14.21, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.85 and a beta of 1.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36, a quick ratio of 1.00 and a current ratio of 1.51. The company has a fifty day moving average of $30.14 and a 200-day moving average of $28.73.

Merck KGaA (OTCMKTS:MKKGY) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 13th. The company reported $0.59 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.45 by $0.14. The company had revenue of $6.03 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.93 billion. Merck KGaA had a return on equity of 8.79% and a net margin of 12.07%. On average, equities analysts predict that Merck KGaA will post 1.87 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Merck KGaA Company Profile

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.