Daiichi Life Insurance Co. Ltd. Purchases New Stake in Merck KGaA $MKGAF

Daiichi Life Insurance Co. Ltd. acquired a new stake in shares of Merck KGaA (OTCMKTS:MKGAF) during the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 274,795 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $35,311,000. Merck KGaA comprises about 0.8% of Daiichi Life Insurance Co. Ltd.’s portfolio, making the stock its 28th biggest holding. Daiichi Life Insurance Co. Ltd. owned approximately 0.21% of Merck KGaA at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Keating Financial Advisory Services Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Merck KGaA in the 2nd quarter valued at about $592,000. Tocqueville Asset Management L.P. bought a new position in shares of Merck KGaA during the second quarter worth about $57,546,000. August Group Capital Ltd acquired a new position in Merck KGaA in the second quarter worth about $390,000. Great Lakes Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Merck KGaA in the second quarter worth about $183,444,000. Finally, Bell & Brown Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Merck KGaA in the second quarter valued at about $5,662,000. 0.10% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Merck KGaA Stock Up 0.7%

Shares of Merck KGaA stock opened at $163.21 on Friday. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $162.62 and a 200 day moving average price of $148.46. Merck KGaA has a fifty-two week low of $116.68 and a fifty-two week high of $175.56. The firm has a market cap of $21.09 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.92 and a beta of 0.96. The company has a quick ratio of 0.84, a current ratio of 1.31 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27.

About Merck KGaA

Merck KGaA, headquartered in Darmstadt, Germany, is a long-established multinational chemical and pharmaceutical company with roots dating back to 1668. Operating under the brand Merck Group (and using distinct consumer-facing names in certain regions to avoid confusion with other companies of similar name), the company is privately controlled by the Merck family and organizes its activities across multiple business units that serve customers in Europe, the Americas, Asia-Pacific and beyond.

The company’s operations are organized mainly into three businesses.