Merck KGaA (OTCMKTS:MKKGY) Shares Gap Up – What’s Next?

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 traded.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have commented on MKKGY shares. UBS Group downgraded shares of Merck KGaA from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, August 20th. HSBC upgraded shares of Merck KGaA to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, July 6th. Finally, Zacks Research downgraded shares of Merck KGaA from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Monday. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Reduce”.

Merck KGaA Price Performance

The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $31.47 and its 200-day simple moving average is $30.28. The stock has a market capitalization of $20.79 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.58, a P/E/G ratio of 2.92 and a beta of 0.95. The company has a quick ratio of 1.09, a current ratio of 1.69 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37.

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.