Mercer International (NASDAQ:MERC) Trading Up 5.1% – What’s Next?

Mercer International Inc. (NASDAQ:MERC) (TSE:MRI.U)’s share price shot up 5.1% during trading on Monday . The company traded as high as $8.08 and last traded at $8.09. 517,855 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 89% from the average session volume of 274,187 shares. The stock had previously closed at $7.69.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have weighed in on MERC shares. Raymond James lowered their target price on shares of Mercer International from $7.50 to $7.00 in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Royal Bank of Canada restated a “sector perform” rating and issued a $7.00 target price on shares of Mercer International in a research note on Monday, November 4th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, Mercer International currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $8.25.

Mercer International Stock Up 2.9 %

The firm has a market cap of $528.95 million, a P/E ratio of -6.23 and a beta of 1.29. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $6.54 and its 200 day moving average price is $6.47. The company has a quick ratio of 2.39, a current ratio of 3.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.09.

Mercer International (NASDAQ:MERC) (TSE:MRI.U) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The basic materials company reported $0.25 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.02 by $0.23. The company had revenue of $488.41 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $497.00 million. Mercer International had a negative return on equity of 5.18% and a negative net margin of 4.17%. As a group, research analysts expect that Mercer International Inc. will post -0.29 earnings per share for the current year.

Mercer International Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 2nd. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, March 26th will be given a dividend of $0.075 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, March 26th. This represents a $0.30 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.79%. Mercer International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently -23.62%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS bought a new position in Mercer International in the 4th quarter valued at about $58,000. Entropy Technologies LP bought a new position in shares of Mercer International in the third quarter valued at approximately $75,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets increased its stake in shares of Mercer International by 22.7% during the third quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 36,661 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $248,000 after acquiring an additional 6,786 shares during the period. Quantbot Technologies LP increased its stake in shares of Mercer International by 505.8% during the third quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP now owns 49,483 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $335,000 after acquiring an additional 41,315 shares during the period. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Mercer International by 1.7% in the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 525,532 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $3,559,000 after buying an additional 8,957 shares in the last quarter. 85.79% of the stock is 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.