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

Mercer International (NASDAQ:MERC) (TSE:MRI.U) issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday. The basic materials company reported $0.25 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.02 by $0.23, Zacks reports. The business had revenue of $488.41 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $497.00 million. Mercer International had a negative net margin of 9.33% and a negative return on equity of 17.62%.

Mercer International Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ MERC traded up $0.83 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $7.41. 698,882 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 246,595. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $6.52 and its 200-day moving average price is $6.46. Mercer International has a 1-year low of $5.33 and a 1-year high of $11.20. The stock has a market capitalization of $495.51 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -2.64 and a beta of 1.29. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.09, a current ratio of 3.79 and a quick ratio of 2.39.

Mercer International Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 2nd. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, March 26th will be paid a $0.075 dividend. This represents a $0.30 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.05%. Mercer International’s payout ratio is presently -10.60%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MERC has been the topic of several research reports. Raymond James dropped their price objective on shares of Mercer International from $7.50 to $7.00 in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Royal Bank of Canada restated 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, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Mercer International presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price 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.