Mercer International Inc. (MERC) Director Eric Lauritzen Sells 5,000 Shares

Mercer International Inc. (NASDAQ:MERC) (TSE:MRI.U) Director Eric Lauritzen sold 5,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $10.96, for a total transaction of $54,800.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 64,085 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $702,371.60. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link.

Eric Lauritzen also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Thursday, July 20th, Eric Lauritzen sold 13,000 shares of Mercer International stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $12.22, for a total transaction of $158,860.00.
• On Tuesday, June 20th, Eric Lauritzen sold 6,000 shares of Mercer International stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $11.72, for a total transaction of $70,320.00.

Shares of Mercer International Inc. (MERC) opened at 10.95 on Wednesday. Mercer International Inc. has a 12 month low of $7.60 and a 12 month high of $12.98. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $11.33 and a 200 day moving average of $11.62. The company has a market capitalization of $711.45 million, a PE ratio of 18.65 and a beta of 1.57.

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 4th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, September 27th will be given a $0.115 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 26th. This represents a $0.46 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.20%. Mercer International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 79.31%.

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A number of equities analysts have commented on the stock. BidaskClub raised shares of Mercer International from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, July 24th. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed a “hold” rating and issued a $12.00 price objective on shares of Mercer International in a report on Tuesday, May 23rd. TD Securities lifted their price objective on shares of Mercer International from $13.00 to $15.75 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, July 31st. Raymond James Financial, Inc. reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $18.00 price objective on shares of Mercer International in a report on Friday, April 28th. Finally, Zacks Investment Research downgraded shares of Mercer International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 17th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the stock. The stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $14.94.

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in MERC. Kennedy Capital Management Inc. increased its position in shares of Mercer International by 274.0% in the first quarter. Kennedy Capital Management Inc. now owns 338,684 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $3,963,000 after buying an additional 248,130 shares in the last quarter. Nationwide Fund Advisors increased its position in shares of Mercer International by 1,193.8% in the first quarter. Nationwide Fund Advisors now owns 186,300 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $2,180,000 after buying an additional 171,900 shares in the last quarter. Walthausen & Co. LLC increased its position in shares of Mercer International by 8.1% in the second quarter. Walthausen & Co. LLC now owns 1,051,619 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $12,094,000 after buying an additional 79,242 shares in the last quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. increased its position in shares of Mercer International by 22.2% in the second quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 314,654 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $3,618,000 after buying an additional 57,063 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp increased its position in shares of Mercer International by 11.0% in the second quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 240,556 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $2,767,000 after buying an additional 23,872 shares in the last quarter. 81.41% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About Mercer International

Mercer International Inc is a producer of northern bleached softwood kraft (NBSK) pulp, which is pulp that is sold on the open market. The Company also produces and sells tall oil, a by-product of its production process, which is used as both a chemical additive and as a green energy source. It produces and sells NBSK pulp, which is a bleached kraft pulp manufactured using northern softwood.