Mercer International (NASDAQ:MERC) Posts Quarterly Earnings Results, Beats Estimates By $0.23 EPS

Mercer International (NASDAQ:MERC) (TSE:MRI.U) posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday. The basic materials company reported $0.25 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.02 by $0.23, Zacks reports. Mercer International had a negative return on equity of 17.62% and a negative net margin of 9.33%.

Mercer International Stock Performance

Mercer International stock traded up $0.08 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $6.58. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 414,096 shares, compared to its average volume of 233,579. The company has a market capitalization of $440.00 million, a P/E ratio of -2.33 and a beta of 1.29. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $6.52 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $6.46. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.09, a quick ratio of 2.39 and a current ratio of 3.79. Mercer International has a 12-month low of $5.33 and a 12-month high of $11.20.

Mercer International Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 2nd. Investors of record on Wednesday, March 26th will be issued a $0.075 dividend. This represents a $0.30 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.56%. Mercer International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently -10.60%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MERC has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed a “sector perform” rating and issued a $7.00 target price on shares of Mercer International in a research report on Monday, November 4th. Raymond James reduced their price objective on Mercer International from $7.50 to $7.00 in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, According to MarketBeat, Mercer International presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $8.25.

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.