Mercer International Inc. (NASDAQ:MERC) Stock Has Consensus Target Price of $0.85 According to Analysts

Mercer International Inc. (NASDAQ:MERC) (TSE:MRI.U) has received an average rating of “Strong Sell” from the six ratings firms that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation and one has issued a hold recommendation on the company. The average 12 month price target among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $0.85.

MERC has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. TD cut their target price on Mercer International from $0.40 to $0.15 and set a “sell” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, August 10th. Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce lowered Mercer International from a “neutral” rating to a “sector underperform” rating and set a $0.15 price target for the company. in a research report on Tuesday, October 27th. Weiss Ratings cut Mercer International from a “sell (e+)” rating to a “sell (e)” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 4th. Royal Bank Of Canada cut their price objective on Mercer International from $0.75 to $0.20 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, October 16th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised Mercer International from a “strong sell” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Saturday, August 15th.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Mercer International

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of MERC. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new stake in Mercer International during the 2nd quarter worth $798,000. Atlas FRM LLC acquired a new position in Mercer International in the second quarter valued at $393,882. GSA Capital Partners LLP acquired a new position in Mercer International in the second quarter valued at $379,000. Net Worth Advisory Group increased its stake in Mercer International by 847.0% in the third quarter. Net Worth Advisory Group now owns 287,699 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $93,000 after purchasing an additional 257,318 shares during the period. Finally, Squarepoint Ops LLC raised its holdings in shares of Mercer International by 773.9% in the second quarter. Squarepoint Ops LLC now owns 161,818 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $107,000 after buying an additional 143,301 shares during the last quarter. 85.79% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Mercer International Stock Down 0.9%

NASDAQ:MERC opened at $0.23 on Friday. Mercer International has a 52 week low of $0.12 and a 52 week high of $2.85. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $0.26 and its two-hundred day moving average is $0.89. The company has a market capitalization of $15.68 million, a P/E ratio of -0.03 and a beta of 0.67.

Mercer International (NASDAQ:MERC) (TSE:MRI.U) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 5th. The basic materials company reported ($0.88) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of ($1.11) by $0.23. The firm had revenue of $440.67 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $452.00 million. Mercer International had a negative return on equity of 352.57% and a negative net margin of 26.95%. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Mercer International will post -3.35 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Mercer International Company Profile

Mercer International Inc. is a global producer of market northern bleached softwood kraft (NBSK) pulp, a wood-fiber material used to manufacture tissue, printing and writing papers, specialty papers, and other fiber-based products. The company sells its pulp to customers in a range of international markets, primarily through direct sales and established distribution channels. Mercer operates pulp mills in Germany and Canada. Its German operations include the Rosenthal mill in Blankenstein and the Stendal mill in Arneburg, while its Canadian operations include the Celgar mill in Castlegar, British Columbia.