International Paper (NYSE:IP) Receives Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

International Paper (NYSE:IP) has earned an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the eight ratings firms that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and four have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month price target among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $37.13.

Several research firms have commented on IP. Royal Bank of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $43.00 target price on shares of International Paper in a research report on Friday, February 2nd. Bank of America raised shares of International Paper from an “underperform” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their target price for the stock from $37.00 to $42.00 in a research report on Monday, March 4th. Argus downgraded shares of International Paper from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, February 26th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of International Paper from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Sunday, January 14th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on shares of International Paper from $39.00 to $35.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 2nd.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other International Paper news, SVP James P. Jr. Royalty sold 5,800 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $34.75, for a total transaction of $201,550.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 69,488 shares in the company, valued at $2,414,708. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders sold a total of 8,800 shares of company stock worth $310,438 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.55% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of IP. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS boosted its holdings in shares of International Paper by 6.6% in the 1st quarter. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS now owns 51,817 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $2,391,000 after acquiring an additional 3,209 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Trust N.A. lifted its holdings in International Paper by 4.5% during the 1st quarter. Raymond James Trust N.A. now owns 8,660 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $399,000 after buying an additional 369 shares in the last quarter. Desjardins Global Asset Management Inc. lifted its holdings in International Paper by 45.5% during the 1st quarter. Desjardins Global Asset Management Inc. now owns 675 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 211 shares in the last quarter. Cibc World Market Inc. acquired a new position in International Paper during the 1st quarter worth $206,000. Finally, Vontobel Holding Ltd. lifted its holdings in International Paper by 1.6% during the 1st quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. now owns 41,970 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $1,947,000 after buying an additional 676 shares in the last quarter. 81.95% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

International Paper Price Performance

IP opened at $35.26 on Friday. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $36.73 and a 200-day moving average of $35.83. The firm has a market capitalization of $12.25 billion, a P/E ratio of 43.00 and a beta of 0.99. International Paper has a 12-month low of $29.00 and a 12-month high of $41.28. The company has a quick ratio of 1.19, a current ratio of 1.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65.

International Paper (NYSE:IP) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 1st. The basic materials company reported $0.41 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.34 by $0.07. International Paper had a return on equity of 8.87% and a net margin of 1.52%. The business had revenue of $4.60 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.67 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.87 earnings per share. International Paper’s quarterly revenue was down 10.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts forecast that International Paper will post 1.88 EPS for the current fiscal year.

International Paper Company Profile

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.