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

Mercer International (NASDAQ:MERC) (TSE:MRI.U) released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday. The basic materials company reported $0.25 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.02 by $0.23, Zacks reports. The business had revenue of $488.41 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $497.00 million. Mercer International had a negative return on equity of 5.18% and a negative net margin of 4.17%.

Mercer International Stock Up 16.9 %

NASDAQ:MERC opened at $7.69 on Friday. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $6.54 and a 200 day simple moving average of $6.47. 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 has a 1-year low of $5.33 and a 1-year high of $11.20.

Mercer International Announces Dividend

The company 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 dividend of $0.075 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, March 26th. This represents a $0.30 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.90%. Mercer International’s payout ratio is currently -23.62%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MERC has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Raymond James lowered their price target on Mercer International from $7.50 to $7.00 in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed a “sector perform” rating and set a $7.00 price target on shares of Mercer International in a research note on Monday, November 4th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $8.25.

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.