International Paper (NYSE:IP) Receives $50.21 Average PT from Analysts

International Paper (NYSE:IP) has received an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the nine research firms that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, six have assigned a buy recommendation and one has assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year price objective among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $50.21.

Several equities research analysts recently commented on IP shares. Argus raised International Paper from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $52.00 target price for the company in a research note on Wednesday, August 14th. Truist Financial raised their price objective on shares of International Paper from $52.00 to $55.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 16th. Seaport Res Ptn upgraded shares of International Paper from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, June 28th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of International Paper from $43.00 to $45.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, July 25th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price target on shares of International Paper from $52.00 to $56.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 25th.

International Paper Trading Down 2.5 %

NYSE:IP opened at $48.71 on Monday. International Paper has a 52 week low of $31.76 and a 52 week high of $50.68. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62, a quick ratio of 1.17 and a current ratio of 1.59. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $47.00 and its 200-day moving average is $42.69. The firm has a market cap of $16.92 billion, a P/E ratio of 99.41 and a beta of 1.04.

International Paper (NYSE:IP) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 24th. The basic materials company reported $0.55 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.41 by $0.14. International Paper had a net margin of 2.34% and a return on equity of 7.28%. The business had revenue of $4.73 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.78 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.59 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 1.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts expect that International Paper will post 1.55 earnings per share for the current year.

International Paper Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 16th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, August 15th were issued a dividend of $0.4625 per share. This represents a $1.85 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.80%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, August 15th. International Paper’s dividend payout ratio is currently 377.55%.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Kathryn D. Sullivan sold 600 shares of International Paper stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $43.68, for a total transaction of $26,208.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 42,202 shares in the company, valued at $1,843,383.36. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. In related news, SVP Joseph R. Saab sold 2,440 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $47.30, for a total transaction of $115,412.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 18,668 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $882,996.40. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Kathryn D. Sullivan sold 600 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $43.68, for a total transaction of $26,208.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 42,202 shares in the company, valued at $1,843,383.36. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 19,440 shares of company stock worth $927,956 over the last three months. 0.55% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD lifted its position in shares of International Paper by 35.1% during the first quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 21,135,702 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $824,716,000 after purchasing an additional 5,492,035 shares in the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp raised its position in International Paper by 133.7% in the second quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 14,214,754 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $613,367,000 after acquiring an additional 8,132,332 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its position in International Paper by 61.5% in the fourth quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 13,030,839 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $471,065,000 after acquiring an additional 4,960,005 shares during the period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA bought a new stake in International Paper in the second quarter worth about $119,012,000. Finally, Norges Bank bought a new stake in International Paper in the fourth quarter worth about $94,913,000. 81.95% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About International Paper

International Paper Company produces and sells renewable fiber-based packaging and pulp products in North America, Latin America, Europe, and North Africa. It operates through two segments, Industrial Packaging and Global Cellulose Fibers. The company offers linerboard, medium, whitetop, recycled linerboard, recycled medium and saturating kraft; and pulp for a range of applications, such as diapers, towel and tissue products, feminine care, incontinence, and other personal care products, as well as specialty pulps for use in textiles, construction materials, paints, coatings, and others.