Merck KGaA (OTCMKTS:MKKGY) Shares Gap Up – Here’s Why

Shares of Merck KGaA (OTCMKTS:MKKGY) gapped up before the market opened on Thursday. The stock had previously closed at $30.8850, but opened at $32.20. Merck KGaA shares last traded at $32.0840, with a volume of 1,901 shares.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on MKKGY shares. UBS Group cut shares of Merck KGaA from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 20th. Zacks Research lowered shares of Merck KGaA from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Monday. Finally, HSBC upgraded shares of Merck KGaA to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, July 6th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Merck KGaA presently has an average rating of “Reduce”.

Merck KGaA Price Performance

The company has a quick ratio of 1.09, a current ratio of 1.69 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37. The business has a fifty day moving average of $31.47 and a 200 day moving average of $30.28. The firm has a market cap of $20.79 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.58, a PEG ratio of 2.92 and a beta of 0.95.

Merck KGaA Company Profile

Merck KGaA is a Germany-based science and technology company headquartered in Darmstadt. Founded in 1668, it is one of the world’s oldest pharmaceutical and chemical businesses. The company operates independently from Merck & Co, Inc, the U.S.-based company that uses the Merck name in the United States and Canada.

Merck KGaA operates through three primary business sectors: Life Science, Healthcare and Electronics. Its Life Science business supplies laboratory products, research tools, analytical technologies and bioprocessing solutions used by pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, academic institutions and industrial laboratories.