Mercer International Inc. (NASDAQ:MERC) Short Interest Update

Mercer International Inc. (NASDAQ:MERC) (TSE:MRI.U) was the recipient of a large decrease in short interest in the month of March. As of March 15th, there was short interest totalling 399,000 shares, a decrease of 22.8% from the February 28th total of 516,800 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 332,900 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 1.2 days. Currently, 1.0% of the company’s stock are sold short.

Mercer International Stock Up 0.3 %

Shares of MERC stock traded up $0.02 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $5.94. 236,960 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 320,079. Mercer International has a 52-week low of $5.33 and a 52-week high of $11.20. The stock has a market cap of $397.21 million, a P/E ratio of -4.68 and a beta of 1.20. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.09, a current ratio of 3.79 and a quick ratio of 2.39. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $6.76 and its two-hundred day moving average is $6.60.

Mercer International (NASDAQ:MERC) (TSE:MRI.U) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The basic materials company reported $0.25 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.02 by $0.23. The company 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 4.17% and a negative return on equity of 5.18%. Equities analysts predict that Mercer International will post -0.29 EPS for the current year.

Mercer International Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 2nd. Investors of record on Wednesday, March 26th will be given a dividend of $0.075 per share. This represents a $0.30 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.05%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, March 26th. Mercer International’s dividend payout ratio is currently -23.62%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, Raymond James cut their price objective on shares of Mercer International from $7.50 to $7.00 in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $8.25.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Mercer International

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS acquired a new position in shares of Mercer International during the fourth quarter valued at about $58,000. Entropy Technologies LP increased its stake in Mercer International by 56.0% during the 4th quarter. Entropy Technologies LP now owns 17,270 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $112,000 after purchasing an additional 6,200 shares in the last quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets raised its holdings in shares of Mercer International by 22.7% in the third quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 36,661 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $248,000 after buying an additional 6,786 shares during the last quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP lifted its stake in shares of Mercer International by 505.8% during the third quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP now owns 49,483 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $335,000 after buying an additional 41,315 shares during the period. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Mercer International by 1.7% during the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 525,532 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $3,559,000 after buying an additional 8,957 shares during the last quarter. 85.79% of the stock is currently 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.