Mercer International Inc. (NASDAQ:MERC) Stock Rated “Strong Sell” by Sell-Side Brokerages

Shares of Mercer International Inc. (NASDAQ:MERC) (TSE:MRI.U) have earned an average rating of “Strong Sell” from the six research firms that are covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation and one has issued a hold recommendation on the company. The average 12-month price target among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $0.85.

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on the company. Weiss Ratings downgraded Mercer International from a “sell (e+)” rating to a “sell (e)” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce lowered Mercer International from a “neutral” rating to a “sector underperform” rating and set a $0.15 price objective on the stock. in a research report on Tuesday, October 27th. TD decreased their price objective on Mercer International from $0.40 to $0.15 and set a “sell” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, August 10th. Royal Bank Of Canada decreased their target price on Mercer International from $0.75 to $0.20 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, October 16th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded Mercer International from a “strong sell” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Saturday, August 15th.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Mercer International

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in MERC. Net Worth Advisory Group raised its holdings in shares of Mercer International by 847.0% in the 3rd quarter. Net Worth Advisory Group now owns 287,699 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $93,000 after purchasing an additional 257,318 shares during the period. Squarepoint Ops LLC grew its holdings in shares of Mercer International by 773.9% in the second quarter. Squarepoint Ops LLC now owns 161,818 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $107,000 after purchasing an additional 143,301 shares during the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC bought a new position in Mercer International in the 2nd quarter worth about $67,000. Atlas FRM LLC bought a new stake in shares of Mercer International during the 2nd quarter valued at $393,882. Finally, BlackRock Inc. bought a new position in shares of Mercer International during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $798,000. 85.79% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Mercer International Stock Up 4.3%

Shares of Mercer International stock opened at $0.26 on Friday. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $0.27 and its 200-day simple moving average is $0.92. Mercer International has a 52 week low of $0.12 and a 52 week high of $2.85. The firm has a market cap of $17.43 million, a PE ratio of -0.04 and a beta of 0.67.

Mercer International (NASDAQ:MERC) (TSE:MRI.U) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 5th. The basic materials company reported ($0.88) EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($1.11) by $0.23. The company had revenue of $440.67 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $452.00 million. Mercer International had a negative return on equity of 352.57% and a negative net margin of 27.86%. As a group, equities analysts expect that Mercer International will post -3.35 earnings per share for the current year.

About Mercer International

Mercer International Inc is a global producer of market northern bleached softwood kraft (NBSK) pulp, a wood-fiber material used to manufacture tissue, printing and writing papers, specialty papers, and other fiber-based products. The company sells its pulp to customers in a range of international markets, primarily through direct sales and established distribution channels.

Mercer operates pulp mills in Germany and Canada. Its German operations include the Rosenthal mill in Blankenstein and the Stendal mill in Arneburg, while its Canadian operations include the Celgar mill in Castlegar, British Columbia.