Mercer International Inc. (MERC) to Issue Quarterly Dividend of $0.08 on December 26th

Mercer International Inc. (NASDAQ:MERC) (TSE:MRI.U) declared a quarterly dividend on Thursday, October 31st, Zacks reports. Investors of record on Wednesday, December 18th will be given a dividend of 0.075 per share by the basic materials company on Thursday, December 26th. This represents a $0.30 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.66%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, December 18th.

Mercer International has decreased its dividend payment by an average of 3.4% annually over the last three years. Mercer International has a dividend payout ratio of -375.0% indicating that the company cannot currently cover its dividend with earnings alone and is relying on its balance sheet to cover its dividend payments. Research analysts expect Mercer International to earn ($0.07) per share next year, which means the company may not be able to cover its $0.30 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of -428.6%.

Mercer International Trading Down 1.2 %

MERC stock traded down $0.08 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $6.44. The company had a trading volume of 672,553 shares, compared to its average volume of 358,226. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $6.48 and a 200 day moving average of $7.90. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.22, a current ratio of 3.46 and a quick ratio of 2.17. Mercer International has a 12 month low of $5.33 and a 12 month high of $11.20. The company has a market capitalization of $430.65 million, a PE ratio of -2.28 and a beta of 1.34.

Mercer International (NASDAQ:MERC) (TSE:MRI.U) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 31st. The basic materials company reported ($0.26) EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.29) by $0.03. Mercer International had a negative return on equity of 17.93% and a negative net margin of 9.90%. The company had revenue of $502.14 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $485.84 million. During the same period last year, the business posted ($0.39) EPS. Mercer International’s quarterly revenue was up 6.7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts predict that Mercer International will post -1.78 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts recently weighed in on the stock. StockNews.com raised shares of Mercer International from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, October 18th. CIBC reduced their price objective on shares of Mercer International from $10.00 to $8.50 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, August 13th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada lowered their target price on Mercer International from $10.00 to $8.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a report on Monday, August 12th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $9.38.

Insider Transactions at Mercer International

In other news, CEO Estrada Juan Carlos Bueno bought 7,800 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, September 13th. The stock was bought at an average price 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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $446,259. The trade was a 0.00 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. In other Mercer International news, CEO Estrada Juan Carlos Bueno purchased 7,800 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, September 13th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $6.60 per share, for a total transaction of $51,480.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the chief executive officer now owns 67,615 shares in the company, valued at $446,259. This represents a 0.00 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, VP Wolfgang Beck purchased 18,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated 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 directly owns 26,263 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $158,103.26. The trade was a 200.00 % increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders have bought a total of 41,300 shares of company stock valued at $252,650 in the last 90 days. Insiders own 4.20% of the company’s stock.

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.