Mercer International (NASDAQ:MERC) Stock Price Down 5.6%

Mercer International Inc. (NASDAQ:MERC) (TSE:MRI.U) traded down 5.6% during mid-day trading on Monday . The stock traded as low as $8.06 and last traded at $8.06. 57,650 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 76% from the average session volume of 243,109 shares. The stock had previously closed at $8.54.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MERC has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. TD Securities raised their target price on shares of Mercer International from $10.00 to $10.50 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 16th. StockNews.com raised shares of Mercer International from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, May 13th. Finally, Raymond James lifted their price objective on shares of Mercer International from $8.50 to $10.50 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Friday, April 19th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, According to MarketBeat.com, Mercer International presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $9.67.

Mercer International Trading Down 5.9 %

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.82, a quick ratio of 2.38 and a current ratio of 3.74. The stock has a market cap of $537.47 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -2.42 and a beta of 1.36. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $9.60 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $9.31.

Mercer International (NASDAQ:MERC) (TSE:MRI.U) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 9th. The basic materials company reported $0.10 EPS for the quarter. Mercer International had a negative net margin of 11.27% and a negative return on equity of 26.21%. The business had revenue of $553.43 million for the quarter. Research analysts expect that Mercer International Inc. will post -0.56 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Mercer International Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 3rd. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, June 26th will be given a $0.075 dividend. This represents a $0.30 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.73%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, June 26th. Mercer International’s payout ratio is currently -8.75%.

Institutional Trading of Mercer International

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Russell Investments Group Ltd. acquired a new position in shares of Mercer International during the 1st quarter worth $193,000. Everence Capital Management Inc. bought a new stake in Mercer International in the first quarter worth $261,000. Finally, SG Americas Securities LLC increased its position in Mercer International by 17.5% during the fourth quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 40,488 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $384,000 after buying an additional 6,042 shares during the last quarter. 85.79% of the stock is currently 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.