Mercer International Inc. (NASDAQ:MERC) Short Interest Down 20.3% in December

Mercer International Inc. (NASDAQ:MERC) (TSE:MRI.U) was the recipient of a large decrease in short interest in the month of December. As of December 15th, there was short interest totalling 337,500 shares, a decrease of 20.3% from the November 30th total of 423,300 shares. Approximately 0.9% of the company’s stock are sold short. Based on an average trading volume of 394,400 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 0.9 days.

Mercer International Stock Performance

Shares of MERC stock remained flat at $6.48 during mid-day trading on Monday. 301,865 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 353,509. The company has a quick ratio of 2.39, a current ratio of 3.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.09. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $6.41 and a 200 day moving average price of $6.89. The company has a market capitalization of $433.32 million, a P/E ratio of -2.29 and a beta of 1.32. Mercer International has a twelve month low of $5.33 and a twelve month high of $11.20.

Mercer International (NASDAQ:MERC) (TSE:MRI.U) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 31st. The basic materials company reported ($0.26) earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.29) by $0.03. The company had revenue of $502.14 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $485.84 million. Mercer International had a negative net margin of 9.33% and a negative return on equity of 17.62%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business earned ($0.39) EPS. On average, analysts forecast that Mercer International will post -1.62 EPS for the current year.

Mercer International Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, December 26th. Investors of record on Wednesday, December 18th were issued a $0.075 dividend. This represents a $0.30 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.63%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, December 18th. Mercer International’s dividend payout ratio is currently -10.60%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of MERC. Entropy Technologies LP bought a new position in shares of Mercer International in the 3rd quarter worth about $75,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets grew its position in shares of Mercer International by 22.7% during the 3rd quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 36,661 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $248,000 after buying an additional 6,786 shares during the last quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP raised its stake in Mercer International by 505.8% during the third quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP now owns 49,483 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $335,000 after acquiring an additional 41,315 shares during the period. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in Mercer International by 1.7% in the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 525,532 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $3,559,000 after acquiring an additional 8,957 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 85.79% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have 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. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed a “sector perform” rating and set a $7.00 price target on shares of Mercer International in a report on Monday, November 4th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $9.13.

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.