Mercer International (NASDAQ:MERC) Raised to “Hold” at StockNews.com

Mercer International (NASDAQ:MERC) (TSE:MRI.U) was upgraded by equities research analysts at StockNews.com from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report issued on Friday.

Several other analysts have also recently issued reports on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada lowered their target price on shares of Mercer International from $10.00 to $8.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, August 12th. CIBC lowered their target price on shares of Mercer International from $10.00 to $8.50 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, August 13th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Mercer International has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $9.38.

Mercer International Stock Performance

Shares of MERC stock opened at $6.70 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $447.90 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -1.95 and a beta of 1.34. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.22, a quick ratio of 2.17 and a current ratio of 3.46. Mercer International has a 52 week low of $5.33 and a 52 week high of $11.20. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $6.45 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $8.12.

Mercer International (NASDAQ:MERC) (TSE:MRI.U) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 8th. The basic materials company reported ($0.50) EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.42) by ($0.08). The business had revenue of $499.40 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $482.35 million. Mercer International had a negative net margin of 9.90% and a negative return on equity of 17.93%. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 5.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted ($1.48) earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Mercer International will post -1.15 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Mercer International

In related news, VP Wolfgang Beck purchased 18,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 3rd. The shares were purchased at an average price of $6.02 per share, with a total value of $111,370.00. Following the acquisition, the vice president now directly owns 26,263 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $158,103.26. This represents a 200.00 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In other Mercer International news, CEO Estrada Juan Carlos Bueno bought 7,800 shares of Mercer International stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, September 13th. The shares were bought at an average price of $6.60 per share, with a total value of $51,480.00. Following the acquisition, the chief executive officer now owns 67,615 shares in the company, valued at approximately $446,259. This trade represents a 0.00 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, VP Wolfgang Beck bought 18,500 shares of Mercer International stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 3rd. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $6.02 per share, for a total transaction of $111,370.00. Following the acquisition, the vice president now owns 26,263 shares in the company, valued at $158,103.26. The trade was a 200.00 % increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders have purchased 41,300 shares of company stock valued at $252,650 in the last quarter. Insiders own 4.20% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Mercer International

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. SG Americas Securities LLC boosted its position in Mercer International by 26.5% during the 1st quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 51,201 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $509,000 after buying an additional 10,713 shares during the period. Russell Investments Group Ltd. purchased a new stake in Mercer International during the 1st quarter valued at $193,000. Finally, Everence Capital Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Mercer International during the 1st quarter valued at $261,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 85.79% 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.