Mercer International (NASDAQ:MERC) Shares Down 5.6%

Shares of Mercer International Inc. (NASDAQ:MERC) (TSE:MRI.U) fell 5.6% during mid-day trading on Monday . The company traded as low as $8.06 and last traded at $8.06. 57,650 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 76% from the average session volume of 243,109 shares. The stock had previously closed at $8.54.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have issued reports on MERC. Raymond James increased their price target on Mercer International from $8.50 to $10.50 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Friday, April 19th. TD Securities raised their target price on Mercer International from $10.00 to $10.50 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 16th. Finally, StockNews.com raised Mercer International from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, May 13th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, Mercer International presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $9.67.

Mercer International Stock Up 1.0 %

The stock has a fifty day moving average of $9.53 and a 200-day moving average of $9.30. The company has a quick ratio of 2.38, a current ratio of 3.74 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.82.

Mercer International (NASDAQ:MERC) (TSE:MRI.U) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 9th. The basic materials company reported $0.10 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. Mercer International had a negative return on equity of 26.21% and a negative net margin of 11.27%. The company had revenue of $553.43 million during the quarter. Equities research analysts predict that Mercer International Inc. will post -0.56 earnings per share for the current year.

Mercer International Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 3rd. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, June 26th will be issued a $0.075 dividend. This represents a $0.30 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.61%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, June 26th. Mercer International’s payout ratio is currently -8.75%.

Institutional Trading of Mercer International

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in MERC. Everence Capital Management Inc. acquired a new position in Mercer International in the 1st quarter valued at about $261,000. Russell Investments Group Ltd. purchased a new stake in shares of Mercer International during the 1st quarter worth approximately $193,000. Finally, SG Americas Securities LLC boosted its stake in shares of 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 worth $509,000 after acquiring an additional 10,713 shares in the last quarter. 85.79% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.