Mercer International Inc. (NASDAQ:MERC) Short Interest Down 20.3% in December

Mercer International Inc. (NASDAQ:MERC) (TSE:MRI.U) was the target of a significant decrease in short interest in December. As of December 15th, there was short interest totalling 337,500 shares, a decrease of 20.3% from the November 30th total of 423,300 shares. Approximately 0.9% of the shares of the company are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 394,400 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 0.9 days.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Entropy Technologies LP acquired a new stake in Mercer International during the 3rd quarter valued at $75,000. Quantbot Technologies LP grew its holdings in shares of Mercer International by 505.8% during the third quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP now owns 49,483 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $335,000 after purchasing an additional 41,315 shares during the last quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets increased its stake in shares of Mercer International by 22.7% in the third quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 36,661 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $248,000 after buying an additional 6,786 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Mercer International by 1.7% in the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 525,532 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $3,559,000 after buying an additional 8,957 shares during the last quarter. 85.79% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Mercer International Price Performance

NASDAQ:MERC traded up $0.02 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $6.50. The company had a trading volume of 239,779 shares, compared to its average volume of 353,057. The company has a quick ratio of 2.39, a current ratio of 3.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.09. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $6.42 and a two-hundred day moving average of $6.88. Mercer International has a one year low of $5.33 and a one year high of $11.20. The firm has a market capitalization of $434.66 million, a PE ratio of -2.30 and a beta of 1.32.

Mercer International (NASDAQ:MERC) (TSE:MRI.U) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The basic materials company reported ($0.26) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.29) by $0.03. The business had revenue of $502.14 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $485.84 million. Mercer International had a negative net margin of 9.33% and a negative return on equity of 17.62%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted ($0.39) EPS. Analysts forecast that Mercer International will post -1.62 earnings per share for the current year.

Mercer International Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, December 26th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, December 18th were paid a $0.075 dividend. This represents a $0.30 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.62%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, December 18th. Mercer International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently -10.60%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on MERC shares. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Mercer International from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, October 18th. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed a “sector perform” rating and set a $7.00 price objective on shares of Mercer International in a report on Monday, November 4th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $9.13.

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.