TD Securities Has Lowered Expectations for Mercer International (NASDAQ:MERC) Stock Price

Mercer International (NASDAQ:MERC - Get Free Report) TSE: MRI.U had its price target cut by stock analysts at TD Securities from $5.50 to $4.00 in a report released on Monday, Marketbeat Ratings reports. The brokerage currently has a "hold" rating on the basic materials company's stock. TD Securities' price objective suggests a potential upside of 6.38% from the stock's previous close.

MERC has been the topic of a number of other research reports. Royal Bank of Canada lowered their price target 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. Raymond James lowered their price objective on shares of Mercer International from $7.00 to $5.00 and set a "market perform" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 30th. Finally, CIBC reduced their target price on shares of Mercer International from $7.00 to $6.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 22nd. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $4.75.

Mercer International Stock Up 5.3 %

NASDAQ:MERC traded up $0.19 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $3.76. 1,360,251 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 415,044. Mercer International has a fifty-two week low of $3.20 and a fifty-two week high of $11.17. The company has a market capitalization of $251.43 million, a PE ratio of -2.96 and a beta of 1.08. 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 company has a fifty day simple moving average of $5.41 and a 200 day simple moving average of $6.18.

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, VP Wolfgang Beck acquired 8,791 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 7th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $3.60 per share, with a total value of $31,647.60. Following the completion of the acquisition, the vice president now owns 35,054 shares in the company, valued at approximately $126,194.40. This represents a 33.47 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Insiders own 4.20% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Mercer International

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of MERC. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Mercer International by 1.7% in the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 525,532 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $3,559,000 after acquiring an additional 8,957 shares during the period. KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS acquired a new stake in Mercer International in the fourth quarter valued at $58,000. Finally, Entropy Technologies LP increased its position in shares of Mercer International by 56.0% in the fourth quarter. Entropy Technologies LP now owns 17,270 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $112,000 after buying an additional 6,200 shares in the last quarter. 85.79% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.