Business
Mercer International Inc. Reports First Quarter 2024 Results and Announces Quarterly Cash Dividend Of $0.075
Selected Highlights First quarter Operating EBITDA* of $63.6 million and net loss of $16.7 million Improving pulp markets and lower costs driving stronger
About this update from Mercer International Inc.
[{"type":"text","content":"Selected Highlights First quarter Operating EBITDA* of $63.6 million and net loss of $16.7 million Improving pulp markets and lower costs driving stronger EBITDA Quarterly cash dividend of $0.075 per share NEW YORK, May 09, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Mercer International Inc. (Nasdaq: MERC) today reported first quarter 2024 Operating EBITDA of $63.6 million, an increase from $27.5 million in the same quarter of 2023 and $21.1 million in the fourth quarter of 2023. In the first quarter of 2024, net loss was $16.7 million (or $0.25 per share), which included a non-cash loss on disposal of $23.6 million (or $0.35 per share) relating to the dissolution of the Cariboo Pulp and Paper (\"CPP\") joint venture, compared to a net loss of $30.6 million (or $0.46 per share) in the first quarter of 2023 and a net loss of $87.2 million (or $1.31 per share) in the fourth quarter of 2023, which included a non-cash impairment charge of $33.7 million (or $0.51 per share) relating to the classification of our sandalwood business as held for sale. Mr. Juan Carlos Bueno, Chief Executive Officer, stated: \"In the first quarter, our operating results were positively impacted by an improved pulp and lumber pricing environment, lower fiber and other production costs and no planned maintenance downtime. NBSK pulp prices in Europe and North America continued to improve in the first quarter, driven by stronger demand, lower customer inventory levels and global supply disruptions. In China, third party industry quoted NBSK net prices were flat, with weaker demand around the Chinese New Year offset by stronger demand towards the end of the quarter. We believe this positive pricing momentum will continue and expect modest price increases in the second quarter of 2024. Lumber pricing in both the U.S. and Europe also improved in the first quarter of 2024 as a result of a modest increase in demand. However, we currently expect lumber prices to be generally flat in the second quarter as demand continues to be impacted by high interest rates and economic uncertainty. In the first quarter, we continued our focus on our strategic priorities. To this end, in April 2024, we announced the dissolution of the CPP joint venture, which will allow us to direct resources to areas aligned with our long-term focus. In the first quarter of 2024, all our pulp mills ran very effici...