TD Securities Increases Mercer International (NASDAQ:MERC) Price Target to $18.00

Mercer International (NASDAQ:MERC – Get Rating) (TSE:MRI.U) had its price objective raised by analysts at TD Securities from $16.50 to $18.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Tuesday, BayStreet.CA reports. The firm presently has a “hold” rating on the basic materials company’s stock. TD Securities’ target price suggests a potential upside of 20.81% from the company’s previous close.

A number of other equities research analysts also recently commented on MERC. Credit Suisse Group increased their price objective on shares of Mercer International from $19.00 to $21.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 26th. Raymond James boosted their target price on Mercer International from $20.00 to $24.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, July 25th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Mercer International currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $20.75.

Mercer International Trading Down 1.3 %

Shares of NASDAQ:MERC opened at $14.90 on Tuesday. Mercer International has a 52 week low of $9.51 and a 52 week high of $17.17. The company’s 50 day moving average is $14.45 and its two-hundred day moving average is $14.10. The company has a current ratio of 4.27, a quick ratio of 2.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.66. The company has a market cap of $985.89 million, a PE ratio of 3.26 and a beta of 1.45.

Mercer International (NASDAQ:MERC – Get Rating) (TSE:MRI.U) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 28th. The basic materials company reported $1.07 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.99 by $0.08. Mercer International had a net margin of 14.11% and a return on equity of 42.77%. The company had revenue of $572.33 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $484.73 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.32 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 42.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts predict that Mercer International will post 4.06 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Mercer International

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of MERC. Merrion Investment Management Co LLC raised its stake in shares of Mercer International by 1.4% during the 4th quarter. Merrion Investment Management Co LLC now owns 429,109 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $5,145,000 after buying an additional 5,800 shares in the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC raised its stake in shares of Mercer International by 36.6% during the 4th quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 33,683 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $404,000 after buying an additional 9,023 shares in the last quarter. BNP Paribas Arbitrage SA raised its stake in shares of Mercer International by 284.6% during the 4th quarter. BNP Paribas Arbitrage SA now owns 124,704 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $1,495,000 after buying an additional 92,282 shares in the last quarter. Campbell & CO Investment Adviser LLC grew its holdings in shares of Mercer International by 42.4% in the 4th quarter. Campbell & CO Investment Adviser LLC now owns 48,387 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $580,000 after acquiring an additional 14,400 shares during the period. Finally, Russell Investments Group Ltd. acquired a new stake in shares of Mercer International in the 1st quarter worth approximately $152,000. 75.80% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Mercer International Company Profile

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Mercer International Inc, together with its subsidiaries, manufactures and sells northern bleached softwood kraft (NBSK) pulp in Europe, the United States, Asia, and internationally. The company operates through two segments, Pulp and Wood Products. It also generates and sells green energy produced from biomass cogeneration power plant to third party utilities.