Mercer International (NASDAQ:MERC) Director Linda Welty Purchases 10,000 Shares

Key Points

• Linda Welty, a director at Mercer International, purchased 10,000 shares at an average price of $3.09, increasing her total ownership to 36,290 shares.
• Mercer International reported a loss of $1.29 EPS for its last quarter, significantly missing analyst estimates and indicating challenges in revenue and profitability.
• Recent analyst reports have set a consensus price target of $4.25 for Mercer stock, with multiple firms cutting their previous targets amid a generally cautious outlook.

Mercer International Inc. (NASDAQ:MERC - Get Free Report) TSE: MRI.U Director Linda Welty bought 10,000 shares of Mercer International stock in a transaction on Monday, August 18th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $3.09 per share, for a total transaction of $30,900.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director owned 36,290 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $112,136.10. This represents a 38.04% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link.

Mercer International Stock Performance

NASDAQ MERC traded down $0.0050 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $3.0550. 796,384 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 575,572. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $3.51 and a 200-day moving average price of $4.76. The stock has a market capitalization of $204.63 million, a P/E ratio of -1.87 and a beta of 1.08. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.42, a current ratio of 3.10 and a quick ratio of 1.73. Mercer International Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $2.59 and a fifty-two week high of $8.28.

Mercer International (NASDAQ:MERC - Get Free Report) TSE: MRI.U last posted its earnings results on Thursday, July 31st. The basic materials company reported ($1.29) EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.73) by ($0.56). Mercer International had a negative net margin of 5.60% and a negative return on equity of 23.88%. The firm had revenue of $453.52 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $514.46 million. Sell-side analysts forecast that Mercer International Inc. will post -0.29 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Trading of Mercer International

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Gabelli Funds LLC bought a new position in Mercer International in the 2nd quarter valued at about $1,804,000. Jump Financial LLC lifted its position in Mercer International by 340.6% in the 2nd quarter. Jump Financial LLC now owns 276,837 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $969,000 after acquiring an additional 214,008 shares in the last quarter. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL bought a new position in Mercer International in the 2nd quarter valued at about $244,000. Finally, Quantbot Technologies LP lifted its position in Mercer International by 943.3% in the 1st quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP now owns 20,470 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $126,000 after acquiring an additional 18,508 shares in the last quarter. 85.79% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on MERC shares. CIBC reduced their price target on Mercer International from $5.00 to $4.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, July 22nd. Royal Bank Of Canada cut their target price on Mercer International from $7.00 to $5.00 and set a "sector perform" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 22nd. Raymond James Financial cut their target price on 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. Finally, TD Securities cut their target price on Mercer International from $3.50 to $3.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, August 5th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $4.25.

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.

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