Mercer International (NASDAQ:MERC) PT Raised to $10.50

Mercer International (NASDAQ:MERC) (TSE:MRI.U) had its target price increased by TD Securities from $10.00 to $10.50 in a report published on Tuesday, BayStreet.CA reports. TD Securities currently has a hold rating on the basic materials company’s stock.

Several other equities analysts have also recently weighed in on the company. 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 note 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 note on Friday, January 12th. Royal Bank of Canada lifted 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. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded Mercer International to a sell rating in a report on Friday, March 15th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and six have assigned a hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of Hold and an average price target of $9.67.

Mercer International Trading Down 0.3 %

NASDAQ:MERC opened at $9.54 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.53, a current ratio of 3.82 and a quick ratio of 2.37. Mercer International has a fifty-two week low of $7.01 and a fifty-two week high of $10.42. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $9.36 and its two-hundred day moving average is $9.07. The stock has a market cap of $634.70 million, a PE ratio of -2.62 and a beta of 1.38.

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

Mercer International Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 4th. Investors of record on Wednesday, March 27th were issued a $0.075 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, March 26th. This represents a $0.30 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.14%. Mercer International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently -8.24%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Mercer International

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. BNP Paribas Arbitrage SNC lifted its holdings in 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 purchasing an additional 1,440 shares during the last quarter. Brevan Howard Capital Management LP acquired a new stake in Mercer International in the 4th quarter worth approximately $99,000. Amalgamated Bank lifted its holdings in Mercer International by 19.6% in the 3rd quarter. Amalgamated Bank now owns 13,291 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $114,000 after purchasing an additional 2,182 shares during the last quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP acquired a new stake in Mercer International in the 1st quarter worth approximately $155,000. Finally, Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky acquired a new stake in Mercer International in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $173,000. 85.79% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.