During 2012, the Merck share price rose 30%. Thus, Merck outperformed the DAX® by 1% and the relevant pharmaceutical and chemistry industry indices by 13% and 19%, respectively. Reaching an annual high of € 106.55 in December 2012, the price neared the all-time high of € 109.26 in September 2007.
The average daily trading volume decreased by 38% from just under 500,000 in 2011 to just over 300,000 shares. The North America region continued to dominate with more than 50% of shares in free float, slightly down compared to 54% in 2011. By investor type, GARP (growth at reasonable price) investors continue to dominate. Together, the top five investors held around 30% of the free float at year-end.
The performance of Merck shares vs. the DAX®, the Bloomberg Europe 500 Pharmaceuticals
Index (BEPHARM) and the Bloomberg EMEA Chemicals Index (BEUCHEM) – 2012
