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

Shares of International Paper Company (NYSE:IP) have received an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the thirteen analysts that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company. The average 12 month price target among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $48.2455.

IP has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price objective on International Paper from $47.00 to $48.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. UBS Group downgraded International Paper from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and dropped their price target for the stock from $51.00 to $44.00 in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on International Paper from $45.00 to $48.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Citigroup upped their price target on International Paper from $46.00 to $47.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 30th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised International Paper from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and increased their price objective for the company from $36.00 to $40.00 in a research report on Friday, January 30th.

International Paper Stock Performance

Shares of IP opened at $34.03 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $18.02 billion, a PE ratio of -5.07 and a beta of 1.09. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60, a current ratio of 1.28 and a quick ratio of 1.02. International Paper has a one year low of $33.65 and a one year high of $56.64. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $42.80 and its 200 day moving average price is $42.54.

International Paper (NYSE:IP) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The basic materials company reported ($0.08) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.28 by ($0.36). The firm had revenue of $6.01 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.90 billion. International Paper had a negative net margin of 14.12% and a negative return on equity of 0.35%. The firm’s revenue was up 53.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned ($0.02) earnings per share. As a group, analysts expect that International Paper will post 2.77 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at International Paper

In related news, CEO Andrew K. Silvernail purchased 50,000 shares of International Paper stock in a transaction on Friday, January 30th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $39.98 per share, with a total value of $1,999,000.00. Following the acquisition, the chief executive officer directly owned 50,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,999,000. This trade represents a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Anders Gustafsson purchased 13,217 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 12th. The stock was bought at an average price of $37.83 per share, for a total transaction of $499,999.11. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 26,092 shares in the company, valued at approximately $987,060.36. The trade was a 102.66% increase in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. Over the last quarter, insiders have purchased 76,092 shares of company stock valued at $2,999,064. Corporate insiders own 0.35% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On International Paper

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Capital International Investors lifted its position in shares of International Paper by 51.4% in the 3rd quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 48,990,719 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $2,272,966,000 after acquiring an additional 16,622,062 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. increased its position in shares of International Paper by 81.6% during the fourth quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 14,832,952 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $584,270,000 after purchasing an additional 6,663,986 shares during the period. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of International Paper during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $250,093,000. Capital Research Global Investors raised its stake in shares of International Paper by 7.5% in the third quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 54,330,790 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $2,520,945,000 after purchasing an additional 3,768,772 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Atlas FRM LLC lifted its position in International Paper by 56.3% in the fourth quarter. Atlas FRM LLC now owns 5,000,000 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $196,950,000 after purchasing an additional 1,800,000 shares during the period. 81.95% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

International Paper Company Profile

International Paper is a global producer of renewable fiber-based products, focused primarily on pulp, paper, and packaging. The company manufactures containerboard and corrugated packaging used for shipping and retail display, as well as a range of specialty papers and pulp products that serve industrial, consumer goods, and e-commerce customers. Its product portfolio is oriented toward large-scale packaging solutions, tissue and paper grades, and raw pulp for a variety of manufacturing uses.

Founded in 1898, International Paper is headquartered in Memphis, Tennessee, and is one of the largest and longest-established companies in the forest products sector.