Mercer International (NASDAQ:MERC) Issues Quarterly Earnings Results

Mercer International (NASDAQ:MERC) (TSE:MRI.U) announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday. The basic materials company reported ($0.26) EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.29) by $0.03, Briefing.com reports. The firm had revenue of $502.14 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $485.84 million. Mercer International had a negative net margin of 9.90% and a negative return on equity of 17.93%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company posted ($0.39) earnings per share.

Mercer International Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ MERC opened at $6.44 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 3.46, a quick ratio of 2.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.22. The business’s 50 day moving average is $6.48 and its 200-day moving average is $7.90. Mercer International has a 1-year low of $5.33 and a 1-year high of $11.20. The firm has a market cap of $430.65 million, a P/E ratio of -2.28 and a beta of 1.34.

Mercer International Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 26th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, December 18th will be issued a dividend of $0.075 per share. This represents a $0.30 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.66%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, December 18th. Mercer International’s dividend payout ratio is presently -10.60%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Mercer International news, CEO Estrada Juan Carlos Bueno bought 7,800 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, September 13th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $6.60 per share, for a total transaction of $51,480.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 67,615 shares in the company, valued at approximately $446,259. This trade represents a 0.00 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. In other news, Director Rainer Rettig acquired 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, September 9th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $6.24 per share, for a total transaction of $31,200.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 42,463 shares in the company, valued at approximately $264,969.12. This trade represents a 0.00 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Estrada Juan Carlos Bueno bought 7,800 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, September 13th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $6.60 per share, with a total value of $51,480.00. Following the completion of the purchase, 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 ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have acquired 41,300 shares of company stock valued at $252,650. 4.20% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.