Mercer International (NASDAQ:MERC) Shares Up 5.1% - What's Next?

Mercer International Inc. (NASDAQ:MERC - Get Free Report) TSE: MRI.U traded up 5.1% during mid-day trading on Monday . The stock traded as high as $8.08 and last traded at $8.09. 517,855 shares were traded during 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

MERC has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Royal Bank of Canada restated a "sector perform" rating and set a $7.00 price objective on shares of Mercer International in a research report on Monday, November 4th. Raymond James lowered their price target 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.com, Mercer International currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $8.25.

Mercer International Stock Performance

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 firm has a market cap of $550.68 million, a P/E ratio of -6.51 and a beta of 1.29. The company's 50 day moving average is $6.64 and its 200 day moving average is $6.50.

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 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.02 by $0.23. The company had revenue of $488.41 million during 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, equities analysts predict that Mercer International Inc. will post -0.29 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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Mercer International Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 2nd. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, March 26th will be issued a dividend of $0.075 per share. This represents a $0.30 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.64%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, March 26th. Mercer International's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently -23.62%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Mercer International

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS acquired a new position in shares of Mercer International during the fourth quarter worth $58,000. Entropy Technologies LP acquired a new position in Mercer International during the 3rd quarter worth about $75,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets grew its position in shares of Mercer International by 22.7% in the 3rd 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 last quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP grew its position in shares of 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 buying an additional 41,315 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC increased its stake 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 valued at $3,559,000 after buying an additional 8,957 shares during the period. 85.79% of the stock is currently 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.