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

Merck KGaA (OTCMKTS:MKGAF - Get Free Report) was the recipient of a significant growth in short interest in the month of September. As of September 15th, there was short interest totalling 253,200 shares, a growth of 26.9% from the August 31st total of 199,600 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 300 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 844.0 days.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, The Goldman Sachs Group raised Merck KGaA to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Thursday, September 19th.

Merck KGaA Stock Performance

Shares of OTCMKTS MKGAF traded down $2.07 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $176.13. The stock had a trading volume of 2 shares, compared to its average volume of 571. The company has a market cap of $22.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.86 and a beta of 0.96. Merck KGaA has a twelve month low of $143.46 and a twelve month high of $200.56. The business's fifty day moving average is $184.75 and its two-hundred day moving average is $175.55. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27, a current ratio of 1.31 and a quick ratio of 0.84.

Merck KGaA (OTCMKTS:MKGAF - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 1st. The company reported $1.51 EPS for the quarter. The company had revenue of $5.76 billion during the quarter. Merck KGaA had a net margin of 12.60% and a return on equity of 10.17%. As a group, research analysts expect that Merck KGaA will post 9.5 EPS for the current year.

About Merck KGaA

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.