Mercer International (NASDAQ:MERC) Shares Cross Above Two Hundred Day Moving Average of $9.05

Shares of Mercer International Inc. (NASDAQ:MERC) (TSE:MRI.U) crossed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Monday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of $9.05 and traded as high as $9.50. Mercer International shares last traded at $9.25, with a volume of 129,875 shares.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on the company. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price target on Mercer International from $9.00 to $10.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 28th. TD Securities dropped their price target on Mercer International from $10.00 to $9.50 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, February 20th. Raymond James lifted their target price on Mercer International from $7.50 to $8.50 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 6th. CIBC raised Mercer International from a “sector underperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and lifted their target price for the company from $8.00 to $9.00 in a research report on Friday, January 12th. Finally, StockNews.com raised Mercer International to a “sell” rating in a research report on Friday, March 15th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and six have given a hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $9.17.

Mercer International Price Performance

The business’s 50 day moving average is $9.23 and its two-hundred day moving average is $9.05. The firm has a market cap of $615.36 million, a P/E ratio of -2.54 and a beta of 1.38. The company has a quick ratio of 2.37, a current ratio of 3.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.53.

Mercer International (NASDAQ:MERC) (TSE:MRI.U) last posted its earnings results on Friday, February 16th. The basic materials company reported ($0.80) EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.74) by ($0.06). Mercer International had a negative return on equity of 29.17% and a negative net margin of 12.14%. The business had revenue of $470.50 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $508.46 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.30 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was down 19.3% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts anticipate that Mercer International Inc. will post -0.63 earnings per share for the current year.

Mercer International Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 4th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, March 27th were paid a $0.075 dividend. This represents a $0.30 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.24%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, March 26th. Mercer International’s payout ratio is -8.24%.

Institutional Trading of Mercer International

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of MERC. BNP Paribas Arbitrage SNC increased its holdings in shares of Mercer International by 29.1% in the 2nd quarter. BNP Paribas Arbitrage SNC now owns 6,396 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $52,000 after buying an additional 1,440 shares during the last quarter. Brevan Howard Capital Management LP purchased a new stake in Mercer International during the 4th quarter valued at $99,000. Amalgamated Bank boosted its position in Mercer International by 19.6% during the 3rd quarter. Amalgamated Bank now owns 13,291 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $114,000 after buying an additional 2,182 shares during the period. Quantbot Technologies LP purchased a new stake in Mercer International during the 1st quarter valued at $155,000. Finally, Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky purchased a new stake in Mercer International during the 3rd quarter valued at $173,000. 85.79% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.