Mercer International Inc. (NASDAQ:MERC) CEO Purchases $30,160.00 in Stock

Mercer International Inc. (NASDAQ:MERC - Get Free Report) TSE: MRI.U CEO Estrada Juan Carlos Bueno purchased 8,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, June 11th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $3.77 per share, with a total value of $30,160.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the chief executive officer now owns 75,615 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $285,068.55. This represents a 11.83% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website.

Mercer International Stock Down 2.2%

MERC traded down $0.08 during trading on Friday, reaching $3.62. The stock had a trading volume of 248,102 shares, compared to its average volume of 438,600. Mercer International Inc. has a one year low of $3.20 and a one year high of $8.82. The company has a current ratio of 3.79, a quick ratio of 2.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.09. The stock's 50 day moving average is $4.19 and its two-hundred day moving average is $5.74. The company has a market capitalization of $242.07 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -2.85 and a beta of 1.05.

Mercer International (NASDAQ:MERC - Get Free Report) TSE: MRI.U last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The basic materials company reported ($0.33) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. The business had revenue of $506.97 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $508.42 million. Mercer International had a negative net margin of 4.17% and a negative return on equity of 5.18%. As a group, analysts expect that Mercer International Inc. will post -0.29 earnings per share for the current year.

Mercer International Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, July 3rd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, June 26th will be paid a $0.075 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, June 26th. This represents a $0.30 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 8.29%. Mercer International's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently -22.22%.

Institutional Trading of Mercer International

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in MERC. Entropy Technologies LP increased its stake in Mercer International by 56.0% in the 4th quarter. Entropy Technologies LP now owns 17,270 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $112,000 after acquiring an additional 6,200 shares during the last quarter. KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS bought a new position in Mercer International during the 4th quarter valued at about $58,000. Finally, Quantbot Technologies LP raised its holdings in shares of Mercer International by 943.3% in the first quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP now owns 20,470 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $126,000 after buying an additional 18,508 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 85.79% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have recently issued reports on MERC shares. Raymond James reduced their target price on shares of Mercer International from $7.00 to $5.00 and set a "market perform" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 30th. TD Securities cut their price target on Mercer International from $5.50 to $4.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, May 5th. Royal Bank of Canada dropped their price objective on Mercer International from $7.00 to $5.00 and set a "sector perform" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Finally, CIBC reduced their target price on Mercer International from $6.00 to $5.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, May 6th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, According to MarketBeat, Mercer International currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $4.75.

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.