Mercer International (NASDAQ:MERC) Rating Lowered to Sell at StockNews.com

Mercer International (NASDAQ:MERC) (TSE:MRI.U) was downgraded by StockNews.com from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday.

MERC has been the subject of several other reports. Royal Bank of Canada decreased their price target on shares of Mercer International from $10.00 to $8.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a report on Monday, August 12th. CIBC lowered their target price on Mercer International from $10.00 to $8.50 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, August 13th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and four have given a hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $9.38.

Mercer International Stock Up 1.9 %

Shares of Mercer International stock opened at $6.35 on Wednesday. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $6.56 and a 200 day moving average price of $8.44. Mercer International has a fifty-two week low of $5.33 and a fifty-two week high of $11.20. The firm has a market cap of $424.62 million, a P/E ratio of -1.85 and a beta of 1.34. The company has a quick ratio of 2.17, a current ratio of 3.46 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.22.

Mercer International (NASDAQ:MERC) (TSE:MRI.U) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 8th. The basic materials company reported ($0.50) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.42) by ($0.08). The firm had revenue of $499.40 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates 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 revenue was down 5.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted ($1.48) earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Mercer International will post -1.15 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Mercer International

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Mercer International

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. SG Americas Securities LLC increased its stake 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. bought a new position in shares of Mercer International in the first quarter valued at approximately $193,000. Finally, Everence Capital Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Mercer International in the first quarter valued at approximately $261,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.