Mercer International (NASDAQ:MERC) & Stella-Jones (OTCMKTS:STLJF) Head-To-Head Review

Mercer International (NASDAQ:MERC) and Stella-Jones (OTCMKTS:STLJF) are both materials companies, but which is the better investment? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their valuation, analyst recommendations, profitability, earnings, dividends, risk and institutional ownership.

Valuation & Earnings

This table compares Mercer International and Stella-Jones”s revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Mercer International	$1.87 billion	0.02	-$497.89 million	($7.89)	-0.08
Stella-Jones	$2.50 billion	1.23	$241.19 million	$1.47	38.25

Stella-Jones has higher revenue and earnings than Mercer International. Mercer International is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Stella-Jones, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Insider and Institutional Ownership

85.8% of Mercer International shares are owned by institutional investors. 1.2% of Mercer International shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, endowments and hedge funds believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term.

Profitability

This table compares Mercer International and Stella-Jones’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Mercer International	-28.51%	-136.20%	-13.64%
Stella-Jones	8.66%	14.92%	7.39%

Analyst Ratings

This is a summary of current recommendations and price targets for Mercer International and Stella-Jones, as reported by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Mercer International	4	2	0	0	1.33
Stella-Jones	0	1	2	0	2.67

Mercer International presently has a consensus target price of $1.20, suggesting a potential upside of 89.87%. Given Mercer International’s higher possible upside, equities research analysts clearly believe Mercer International is more favorable than Stella-Jones.

Summary

Stella-Jones beats Mercer International on 10 of the 13 factors compared between the two stocks.

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. The company also manufactures, distributes, and sells lumber, cross-laminated timber, finger joint lumber, glue-laminated timber, wood pallets, electricity, biofuels, and wood residuals. In addition, it generates and sells green energy produced from biomass cogeneration power plant to third party. Further, it produces and sells NBSK pulp manufactured from softwood; green energy using carbon-neutral biofuels, such as black liquor and wood waste; tall oil from black liquor for use as a chemical additive and green energy source; bio extractives and biomaterials, including lignin, turpentine, cellulose filaments, and sandalwood oil; and biofuels; as well as provides transportation and logistics services. The company sells its pulp to pulp markets, integrated paper and paperboard manufacturers; and lumber products to distributors, construction firms, secondary manufacturers, retail yards, and home centers. Mercer International Inc. was founded in 1968 and is headquartered in Vancouver, Canada.

About Stella-Jones

Stella-Jones Inc. produces and sells pressure-treated wood products in Canada and the United States. It operates through two segments, Pressure-Treated Wood; and Logs and Lumber. The company offers railway ties and timbers for short line and commercial railroad operators; and wood utility poles for electrical utilities and telecommunication companies. It also provides residential lumber and accessories to retailers for outdoor applications; industrial products, which include wood for railway bridges and crossings, marine and foundation pilings, construction timbers, and coal tar-based products; and lumber for local home-building markets. Stella-Jones Inc. was incorporated in 1992 and is headquartered in Saint-Laurent, Canada.