Mercer International (NASDAQ:MERC) Releases Earnings Results, Beats Estimates By $0.03 EPS

Mercer International (NASDAQ:MERC - Get Free Report) TSE: MRI.U posted its earnings results on Thursday. The basic materials company reported ($0.26) EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.29) by $0.03, Briefing.com reports. The firm had revenue of $502.14 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $485.84 million. Mercer International had a negative return on equity of 17.93% and a negative net margin of 9.90%. Mercer International's revenue for the quarter was up 6.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted ($0.39) earnings per share.

Mercer International Stock Performance

MERC stock traded down $0.08 during trading on Friday, hitting $6.44. The company had a trading volume of 672,553 shares, compared to its average volume of 358,226. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $6.47 and a 200-day moving average price of $7.93. The company has a quick ratio of 2.17, a current ratio of 3.46 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.22. The firm has a market cap of $430.64 million, a PE ratio of -2.20 and a beta of 1.34. Mercer International has a 1-year low of $5.33 and a 1-year high of $11.20.

Mercer International Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, October 3rd. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, September 25th were paid a $0.075 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, September 25th. This represents a $0.30 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.66%. Mercer International's dividend payout ratio is presently -10.14%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, VP Wolfgang Beck acquired 18,500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 3rd. The stock was bought at an average price of $6.02 per share, for a total transaction of $111,370.00. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 26,263 shares in the company, valued at $158,103.26. This represents a 200.00 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other Mercer International news, VP Wolfgang Beck purchased 18,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 3rd. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $6.02 per share, for a total transaction of $111,370.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the vice president now directly owns 26,263 shares in the company, valued at $158,103.26. This represents a 200.00 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Rainer Rettig acquired 5,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, September 9th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $6.24 per share, with a total value of $31,200.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 42,463 shares of the company's stock, valued at $264,969.12. This represents a 0.00 % increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders purchased 41,300 shares of company stock valued at $252,650. 4.20% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have recently commented on MERC shares. Royal Bank of Canada dropped their price objective on Mercer International from $10.00 to $8.00 and set a "sector perform" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, August 12th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Mercer International from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, October 18th. Finally, CIBC dropped their target price on shares of Mercer International from $10.00 to $8.50 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, August 13th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $9.38.

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.

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