Announcements

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      Scope converts German Merck’s ratings into unsolicited subscription ratings available on ScopeOne

      29/12/2023 Monitoring note EN

      Scope converts German Merck’s ratings into unsolicited subscription ratings available on ScopeOne

      Following Merck’s request for a withdrawal of Scope’s public ratings on the German conglomerate, the rating agency has converted all ratings into unsolicited subscription ratings.

      Scope has completed a monitoring review for Merck KGaA

      22/8/2023 Monitoring note EN

      Scope has completed a monitoring review for Merck KGaA

      No action has been taken on the A/Stable issuer rating of Merck KGaA following a monitoring review.

      Updated analytical report on Merck KGaA

      1/11/2022 Monitoring note EN

      Updated analytical report on Merck KGaA

      Following the recent upgrade of the Merck KGaA issuer rating and its financing subsidiaries, Scope has updated its analytical report on Merck KGaA.

      Scope upgrades Merck KGaA’s issuer rating to A/Stable from A-/Positive

      17/10/2022 Rating announcement EN

      Scope upgrades Merck KGaA’s issuer rating to A/Stable from A-/Positive

      The upgrade is driven by the improved leverage due to the group’s strong growth and resilience to macroeconomic headwinds.

      Scope has completed a monitoring review for Merck KGaA

      19/8/2022 Monitoring note EN

      Scope has completed a monitoring review for Merck KGaA

      No action has been taken on the ratings until Scope received additional guidance on the company's medium-term cash deployment and deleveraging policy. This will likely be provided within the upcoming capital markets day.

      Scope affirms Merck KGaA’s issuer rating of A- and raises Outlook to Positive

      11/10/2021 Rating announcement EN

      Scope affirms Merck KGaA’s issuer rating of A- and raises Outlook to Positive

      The Positive Outlook is driven by the expectation that the greatly improved credit metrics will be sustained.

      Scope affirms A-/Stable issuer rating on Merck KGaA

      9/10/2020 Rating announcement EN

      Scope affirms A-/Stable issuer rating on Merck KGaA

      The ratings reflect the company's strong deleveraging focus after the Versum acquisition, its limited exposure to the coronavirus crisis and the expectation that it will deliver on its pharma pipeline.

      Scope affirms Merck at A-, Stable Outlook

      22/10/2019 Rating announcement EN

      Scope affirms Merck at A-, Stable Outlook

      The rating reflects Merck's strong divisional portfolio, including credit-supportive underlying industries, and the expectation that credit metrics will improve after the acquisition of Versum.

      Merck's intended takeover of Versum likely to be credit-neutral despite increased leverage

      1/3/2019 Monitoring note EN

      Merck's intended takeover of Versum likely to be credit-neutral despite increased leverage

      Expected deterioration in credit metrics likely to be mitigated by divestiture proceeds and rapid pay-back of debt within 24 months following the takeover; neutral to slightly positive effects anticipated for the business risk profile.

      Scope affirms short-term rating for Merck KgaA at S-1 to correct rating error

      13/11/2018 Rating announcement EN

      Scope affirms short-term rating for Merck KgaA at S-1 to correct rating error

      Due to an internal error, Scope had affirmed the Merck KGaA short term rating of S-2 on November 2, 2018. The correct short term rating is S-1. Today’s rating action corrects this error.