Mercer International Target of Unusually High Options Trading (NASDAQ:MERC)

Mercer International Inc. (NASDAQ:MERC) (TSE:MRI.U) saw unusually large options trading on Wednesday. Stock traders purchased 30,015 call options on the stock. This represents an increase of approximately 3,940% compared to the average daily volume of 743 call options.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, Raymond James lowered their price target on Mercer International from $7.50 to $7.00 in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $8.25.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Mercer International

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in MERC. KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS bought a new stake in shares of Mercer International in the 4th quarter worth approximately $58,000. Entropy Technologies LP lifted its position in Mercer International by 56.0% in the fourth quarter. Entropy Technologies LP now owns 17,270 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $112,000 after purchasing an additional 6,200 shares during the period. BNP Paribas Financial Markets boosted its stake in Mercer International by 22.7% during the third quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 36,661 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $248,000 after buying an additional 6,786 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in 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 valued at $3,559,000 after buying an additional 8,957 shares during the period. 85.79% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Mercer International Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:MERC opened at $5.26 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $351.74 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -4.14 and a beta of 1.26. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $6.52 and a 200 day moving average price of $6.53. The company has a quick ratio of 2.39, a current ratio of 3.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.09. Mercer International has a twelve month low of $4.74 and a twelve month high of $11.20.

Mercer International (NASDAQ:MERC) (TSE:MRI.U) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 20th. The basic materials company reported $0.25 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.02 by $0.23. The business had revenue of $488.41 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $497.00 million. Mercer International had a negative net margin of 4.17% and a negative return on equity of 5.18%. Research analysts predict that Mercer International will post -0.29 earnings per share for the current year.

Mercer International Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 2nd. Investors of record on Wednesday, March 26th were paid a $0.075 dividend. This represents a $0.30 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.70%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, March 26th. Mercer International’s payout ratio is presently -23.62%.

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.