Mercer International Inc. Reports Second Quarter and First Half 2020 Results and Announces Quarterly Cash Dividend of $0.065

Selected Highlights

Second quarter net loss of $8.4 million

Quarterly Operating EBITDA* of $40.5 million

Cash on hand and available credit facilities provide liquidity of about $566.8 million at June 30, 2020

NEW YORK, July 30, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Mercer International Inc. (Nasdaq: MERC) today reported second quarter 2020 Operating EBITDA decreased to $40.5 million from $70.0 million in the second quarter of 2019 and from $57.0 million in the first quarter of 2020.

In the second quarter of 2020, net loss was $8.4 million (or $0.13 per share) compared to net income of $10.3 million (or $0.16 per share) in the second quarter of 2019 and a net loss of $3.4 million (or $0.05 per share) in the first quarter of 2020.

In the first half of 2020, Operating EBITDA decreased by 50% to $97.5 million from $193.8 million in the same period of 2019. In the first half of 2020, net loss was $11.8 million compared to net income of $61.9 million in the same period of 2019.

Mr. David Gandossi, the Chief Executive Officer, stated: “While the world continues to be impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, I am proud to say that our people have remained resilient and we implemented measures and procedures to meet the challenges of operating our business safely and efficiently. We are constantly monitoring our operations and guidance from governmental and health organizations to ensure that we continue to take appropriate and necessary actions to protect our people.

All of our mills ran well this quarter. Pulp production was down slightly in the quarter primarily due to a previously announced short-term planned curtailment.

Our Q2 results reflect strong cost control and steady production. On average, pulp pricing was modestly up compared to Q1. However, late in the current quarter, overall pulp demand was modestly weaker as continued strong tissue demand was more than offset by weaker demand from printing and writing customers. Our wood products segment had another strong quarter. Our Friesau mill ran well with strong demand in our U.S. market creating upward pricing pressure late in the quarter. In the current quarter approximately 38% of our lumber sales volumes were to the U.S. which was our single largest market.

As we move into Q3 we will remain focused on controlling our costs, managing our working capital and conservatively managing our strong liquidity position.”

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*Operating EBITDA is not a measure of financial performance under accounting principles generally accepted in the United States (“GAAP”) and should not be considered in isolation or as a substitute for analysis of our results as reported under GAAP. See page 6 of the financial tables included in this press release for a reconciliation of net income (loss) to Operating EBITDA.

Consolidated Financial Results

Consolidated – Three Months Ended June 30, 2020 Compared to Three Months Ended June 30, 2019

Total revenues for the three months ended June 30, 2020 decreased by approximately 20% to $341.2 million from $425.8 million in the same quarter of 2019 primarily due to lower pulp sales realizations and pulp sales volumes.

Costs and expenses in the current quarter decreased by approximately 15% to $330.9 million from $387.9 million in the second quarter of 2019 primarily due to lower per unit fiber costs and lower pulp sales volumes and the positive impact of a stronger dollar on our Canadian dollar and euro denominated costs and expenses.

In the second quarter of 2020, Operating EBITDA decreased by approximately 42% to $40.5 million from $70.0 million in the same quarter of 2019 primarily due to lower pulp sales realizations partially offset by lower per unit fiber costs and the positive impact of a stronger dollar.

Segment Results