Mercer International’s (MERC) Sector Perform Rating Reiterated at Royal Bank of Canada

Royal Bank of Canada reiterated their sector perform rating on shares of Mercer International (NASDAQ:MERC) (TSE:MRI.U) in a research report report published on Monday morning, Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a $7.00 price objective on the basic materials company’s stock.

MERC has been the subject of a number of other research reports. CIBC lowered their price target on Mercer International from $10.00 to $8.50 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, August 13th. StockNews.com raised Mercer International from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, October 18th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, Mercer International has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $9.13.

Mercer International Stock Performance

Mercer International stock opened at $6.82 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.09, a current ratio of 3.79 and a quick ratio of 2.39. The firm has a market capitalization of $456.06 million, a P/E ratio of -2.41 and a beta of 1.35. Mercer International has a 1-year low of $5.33 and a 1-year high of $11.20. The company’s 50-day moving average is $6.50 and its 200 day moving average is $7.82.

Mercer International (NASDAQ:MERC) (TSE:MRI.U) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 31st. The basic materials company reported ($0.26) EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.29) by $0.03. Mercer International had a negative return on equity of 17.62% and a negative net margin of 9.33%. The company had revenue of $502.14 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $485.84 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted ($0.39) EPS. Mercer International’s quarterly revenue was up 6.7% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts forecast that Mercer International will post -1.78 EPS for the current year.

Mercer International Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 26th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, December 18th will be paid a $0.075 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, December 18th. This represents a $0.30 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.40%. Mercer International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is -10.60%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Mercer International news, CEO Estrada Juan Carlos Bueno acquired 7,800 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, September 13th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $6.60 per share, for a total transaction of $51,480.00. Following the acquisition, the chief executive officer now owns 67,615 shares in the company, valued at approximately $446,259. This trade represents a 0.00 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In other news, VP Wolfgang Beck purchased 18,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 3rd. The shares were acquired at an average price of $6.02 per share, for a total transaction of $111,370.00. Following the purchase, the vice president now owns 26,263 shares in the company, valued at $158,103.26. This trade 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 accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Estrada Juan Carlos Bueno purchased 7,800 shares of Mercer International stock in a transaction on Friday, September 13th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $6.60 per share, with a total value of $51,480.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 67,615 shares in the company, valued at $446,259. The trade was a 0.00 % increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have bought 41,300 shares of company stock valued at $252,650. 4.20% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Mercer International

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Entropy Technologies LP purchased a new stake in Mercer International in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $75,000. Everence Capital Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Mercer International during the first quarter valued at $261,000. Russell Investments Group Ltd. purchased a new position in Mercer International in the first quarter valued at $193,000. Finally, SG Americas Securities LLC raised its position in shares of Mercer International by 26.5% in the first quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 51,201 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $509,000 after acquiring an additional 10,713 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other 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.