Mercer International (NASDAQ:MERC) Stock Crosses Above 200 Day Moving Average - Should You Sell?

Mercer International Inc. (NASDAQ:MERC - Get Free Report) TSE: MRI.U's share price passed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Wednesday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of $6.59 and traded as high as $6.79. Mercer International shares last traded at $6.68, with a volume of 226,335 shares traded.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently commented on MERC shares. Royal Bank of Canada reissued a "sector perform" rating and set a $7.00 target price on shares of Mercer International in a research note on Monday, November 4th. StockNews.com upgraded Mercer International from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, October 18th. Finally, Raymond James decreased their target price on Mercer International from $7.50 to $7.00 in a research note on Thursday. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, Mercer International has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $8.25.

Mercer International Price Performance

The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $6.44 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $6.59. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.09, a quick ratio of 2.39 and a current ratio of 3.79. The company has a market capitalization of $458.73 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -2.42 and a beta of 1.29.

Mercer International (NASDAQ:MERC - Get Free Report) TSE: MRI.U last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The basic materials company reported ($0.26) EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.29) by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $502.14 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $485.84 million. Mercer International had a negative return on equity of 17.62% and a negative net margin of 9.33%. Mercer International's revenue for the quarter was up 6.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted ($0.39) earnings per share. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Mercer International Inc. will post -1.44 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Entropy Technologies LP acquired a new stake in shares of Mercer International during the 3rd quarter valued at about $75,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets increased its holdings 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 worth $248,000 after buying an additional 6,786 shares in the last quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP increased its position in Mercer International by 505.8% in the 3rd 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in Mercer International by 1.7% during the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 525,532 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $3,559,000 after purchasing an additional 8,957 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 85.79% of the company's stock.

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.