Mercer International Inc. (NASDAQ:MERC) Receives Average Recommendation of “Hold” from Brokerages

Mercer International Inc. (NASDAQ:MERC) (TSE:MRI.U) has earned a consensus recommendation of “Hold” from the six ratings firms that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation. The average 1 year price target among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $9.67.

A number of research firms recently commented on MERC. StockNews.com upgraded Mercer International from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, May 13th. TD Securities increased their price target on Mercer International from $10.00 to $10.50 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 16th. Finally, Raymond James upped their target price on shares of Mercer International from $8.50 to $10.50 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Friday, April 19th.

Mercer International Stock Performance

NASDAQ MERC opened at $8.38 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.82, a quick ratio of 2.38 and a current ratio of 3.74. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $9.26 and its two-hundred day moving average is $9.24. The firm has a market capitalization of $560.20 million, a P/E ratio of -2.44 and a beta of 1.36. Mercer International has a fifty-two week low of $7.01 and a fifty-two week high of $11.20.

Mercer International (NASDAQ:MERC) (TSE:MRI.U) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 9th. The basic materials company reported $0.10 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. Mercer International had a negative net margin of 11.27% and a negative return on equity of 26.21%. The firm had revenue of $553.43 million during the quarter. On average, research analysts anticipate that Mercer International will post -0.56 earnings per share for the current year.

Mercer International Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 3rd. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, June 26th were issued a $0.075 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, June 26th. This represents a $0.30 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.58%. Mercer International’s payout ratio is -8.75%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Everence Capital Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Mercer International in the first quarter valued at approximately $261,000. Russell Investments Group Ltd. acquired a new stake in Mercer International during the 1st quarter worth $193,000. Finally, SG Americas Securities LLC grew its position in Mercer International by 26.5% during the 1st quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 51,201 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $509,000 after purchasing an additional 10,713 shares during the last quarter. 85.79% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Mercer International

Mercer International Inc, together with its subsidiaries, manufactures and sells northern bleached softwood kraft (NBSK) and northern bleached hardwood kraft (NBHK) pulp worldwide. The company operates through two segments, Pulp and Solid Wood. It manufactures, sells, and distributes pulp, electricity, and chemicals through pulp mills.