Merck rises after third guidance upgrade this year
** Shares in Merck KGaA MRCG.DE are up around 2% after the German science and technology group raised its 2026 guidance for the third time this year
** Merck now expects EBITDA pre of €6.2 billion-€6.4 billion this year, up from €5.9 billion-€6.3 billion previously, and revenue in €21.5 billion-€21.9 billion range versus €21.0 billion-€21.8 billion previously
** Jefferies notes that both Q3 sales and adjusted EBITDA beat expectations by 3% and 5%, respectively, driven by strong performances in Life Science and Electronics
** The broker says Semi Materials delivered "another record quarter", helping Semiconductor Solutions sales grow 18.7%, well ahead of 9.9% consensus
($1 = 0.9027 euros)