Mercer International (NASDAQ:MERC) Cut to Sell at StockNews.com

StockNews.com downgraded shares of Mercer International (NASDAQ:MERC) (TSE:MRI.U) from a hold rating to a sell rating in a research note published on Friday morning.

Other equities research analysts have also issued research reports about the stock. CIBC lowered their target price on shares of Mercer International from $10.00 to $8.50 and set a neutral rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, August 13th. Royal Bank of Canada lowered their target price on shares of Mercer International from $10.00 to $8.00 and set a sector perform rating on the stock in a report on Monday, August 12th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and four have assigned a hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $9.38.

Mercer International Trading Up 5.1 %

Shares of MERC stock opened at $6.74 on Friday. Mercer International has a 52-week low of $5.33 and a 52-week high of $11.20. The stock has a market cap of $450.70 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -1.97 and a beta of 1.34. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.22, a quick ratio of 2.17 and a current ratio of 3.46. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $6.91 and a 200-day moving average of $8.64.

Mercer International (NASDAQ:MERC) (TSE:MRI.U) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 8th. The basic materials company reported ($0.50) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.42) by ($0.08). Mercer International had a negative net margin of 9.90% and a negative return on equity of 17.93%. The business had revenue of $499.40 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $482.35 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted ($1.48) EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 5.8% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Mercer International will post -1.15 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Mercer International Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 3rd. Investors of record on Wednesday, September 25th will be given a $0.075 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, September 25th. This represents a $0.30 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.45%. Mercer International’s dividend payout ratio is -8.75%.

Insider Activity at Mercer International

In other news, Director Rainer Rettig purchased 5,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 9th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $6.24 per share, for a total transaction of $31,200.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 42,463 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $264,969.12. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. In other news, Director Rainer Rettig purchased 5,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 9th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $6.24 per share, for a total transaction of $31,200.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 42,463 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $264,969.12. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, VP Wolfgang Beck bought 18,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 3rd. The shares were bought at an average price of $6.02 per share, for a total transaction of $111,370.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the vice president now directly owns 26,263 shares in the company, valued at approximately $158,103.26. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders have bought 33,500 shares of company stock worth $201,170 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 4.20% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Mercer International

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Everence Capital Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Mercer International during the 1st quarter worth approximately $261,000. Russell Investments Group Ltd. bought a new position in shares of Mercer International during the 1st quarter worth approximately $193,000. Finally, SG Americas Securities LLC grew its stake in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 10,713 shares in the last quarter. 85.79% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Mercer International Company Profile

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.