Peter R. Kellogg Buys 33,420 Shares of Mercer International Inc. (NASDAQ:MERC) Stock

Mercer International Inc. (NASDAQ:MERC - Get Free Report) TSE: MRI.U major shareholder Peter R. Kellogg acquired 33,420 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 10th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $3.72 per share, for a total transaction of $124,322.40. Following the completion of the purchase, the insider directly owned 860,000 shares in the company, valued at $3,199,200. The trade was a 4.04% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Major shareholders that own 10% or more of a company's shares are required to disclose their sales and purchases with the SEC.

Mercer International Trading Down 3.4%

NASDAQ MERC traded down $0.14 on Friday, hitting $3.87. The company's stock had a trading volume of 229,276 shares, compared to its average volume of 452,290. The company has a quick ratio of 1.98, a current ratio of 3.25 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.44. Mercer International Inc. has a 1-year low of $3.20 and a 1-year high of $8.57. The company's 50-day moving average is $3.68 and its 200 day moving average is $5.36. The firm has a market cap of $258.45 million, a PE ratio of -2.86 and a beta of 1.04.

Mercer International (NASDAQ:MERC - Get Free Report) TSE: MRI.U last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 1st. The basic materials company reported ($0.33) earnings per share for the quarter. Mercer International had a negative return on equity of 12.07% and a negative net margin of 4.55%. The firm had revenue of $506.97 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $508.42 million. As a group, analysts predict that Mercer International Inc. will post -0.29 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Mercer International Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, July 3rd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, June 26th were given a dividend of $0.075 per share. This represents a $0.30 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 7.76%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, June 26th. Mercer International's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently -22.22%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Mercer International

An institutional investor recently bought a new position in Mercer International stock. KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS acquired a new stake in Mercer International Inc. (NASDAQ:MERC - Free Report) TSE: MRI.U during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 9,000 shares of the basic materials company's stock, valued at approximately $58,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 85.79% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

About Mercer International

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.