Mercer International (NASDAQ:MERC) Stock Price Passes Above 200 Day Moving Average - Time to Sell?

Mercer International Inc. (NASDAQ:MERC - Get Free Report) TSE: MRI.U passed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Monday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of $6.53 and traded as high as $7.99. Mercer International shares last traded at $7.77, with a volume of 388,452 shares changing hands.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, Raymond James cut their target price on Mercer International from $7.50 to $7.00 in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $8.25.

Mercer International Stock Down 5.1 %

The company has a market cap of $468.43 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -5.52 and a beta of 1.20. The stock's 50-day moving average is $6.76 and its 200-day moving average is $6.55. The company has a current ratio of 3.79, a quick ratio of 2.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.09.

Mercer International (NASDAQ:MERC - Get Free Report) TSE: MRI.U last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The basic materials company reported $0.25 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.02 by $0.23. Mercer International had a negative return on equity of 5.18% and a negative net margin of 4.17%. The business had revenue of $488.41 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $497.00 million. On average, analysts anticipate that Mercer International Inc. will post -0.29 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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Mercer International Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 2nd. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, March 26th will be given a $0.075 dividend. This represents a $0.30 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.28%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, March 26th. Mercer International's dividend payout ratio is -23.62%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS purchased a new stake in Mercer International during the 4th quarter worth about $58,000. Entropy Technologies LP increased its holdings in shares of Mercer International by 56.0% in the fourth quarter. Entropy Technologies LP now owns 17,270 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $112,000 after purchasing an additional 6,200 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of Mercer International by 1.7% in the third 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. BNP Paribas Financial Markets boosted its stake in 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 buying an additional 6,786 shares during the period. Finally, Quantbot Technologies LP grew its holdings 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 worth $335,000 after purchasing an additional 41,315 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 85.79% of the company's stock.

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.