Merck KGaA holds steady against currency headwinds in second quarter

Germany's Merck KGaA (MRK: DE) has reported modest growth in revenues in the second quarter of 2018, an increase of 0.5% from the same period last year, to 3.7 billion ($4.3 billion), in line with analysts’ expectations.

While a strong performance in the life science and healthcare segments boosted sales by 5.2%, currency fluctuations associated with a relatively strong US dollar saw the firm effectively treading water.

An overall decline in net income to 247 million euros, down 42% from 426 million euros, equates to an earnings per share figure of 57 euro cents. Shares in the firm were trading about 1.5% lower than the previous close on Thursday afternoon.