Merck KGaA (OTCMKTS:MKKGY) Releases Quarterly Earnings Results, Misses Estimates By $0.21 EPS

Merck KGaA (OTCMKTS:MKKGY) issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday. The company reported $0.26 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.47 by ($0.21), Zacks reports. Merck KGaA had a return on equity of 8.79% and a net margin of 12.07%.The business had revenue of $6.32 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.17 billion.

Merck KGaA Price Performance

Shares of MKKGY traded down $0.19 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $33.60. The stock had a trading volume of 7,118 shares, compared to its average volume of 98,652. The company’s fifty day moving average is $32.00 and its two-hundred day moving average is $29.19. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36, a current ratio of 1.51 and a quick ratio of 1.00. Merck KGaA has a 52 week low of $23.73 and a 52 week high of $34.19. The stock has a market capitalization of $21.71 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.93, a P/E/G ratio of 2.96 and a beta of 0.98.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on the company. HSBC raised Merck KGaA to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, July 6th. Zacks Research raised Merck KGaA from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 22nd. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on Merck KGaA in a research report on Tuesday, May 26th. They set a “hold” rating on the stock. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold”.

Merck KGaA Company Profile

Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, commonly referred to as Merck Group, is a multinational science and technology company with origins dating back to 1668. The company develops and manufactures products and technologies across healthcare, life science and electronics applications. It is distinct from the U.S. pharmaceutical company Merck & Co; Merck KGaA is a European group headquartered in Darmstadt and is publicly listed in Germany with an OTC American depositary receipt available under the symbol MKKGY.

Merck’s Healthcare business develops prescription medicines and related services focused on areas such as oncology, immunology, neurology (including therapies for multiple sclerosis) and fertility.