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

Merck KGaA (OTCMKTS:MKGAF) saw a large increase in short interest in March. As of March 31st, there was short interest totalling 529,000 shares, an increase of 20.6% from the March 15th total of 438,600 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 600 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 881.7 days.

Merck KGaA Stock Down 0.8 %

Shares of Merck KGaA stock opened at $163.51 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a current ratio of 1.42 and a quick ratio of 0.89. The company has a 50-day moving average of $169.66 and a 200 day moving average of $163.64. The firm has a market cap of $21.13 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.94 and a beta of 0.93. Merck KGaA has a 1 year low of $143.46 and a 1 year high of $186.41.

Merck KGaA (OTCMKTS:MKGAF) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, March 7th. The company reported $1.99 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.15 by ($0.16). The business had revenue of $5.63 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.58 billion. Merck KGaA had a return on equity of 12.18% and a net margin of 13.47%. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Merck KGaA will post 9.34 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Merck KGaA Company Profile

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.