International Paper Target of Unusually High Options Trading (NYSE:IP)

International Paper (NYSE:IP) was the recipient of some unusual options trading activity on Tuesday. Traders bought 22,860 call options on the company. This represents an increase of 294% compared to the typical daily volume of 5,809 call options.

Insider Buying and Selling at International Paper

In related news, SVP James P. Jr. Royalty sold 5,800 shares of International Paper stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $34.75, for a total value of $201,550.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 69,488 shares in the company, valued at $2,414,708. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders have sold 9,400 shares of company stock worth $331,402 in the last ninety days. 0.55% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On International Paper

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in IP. Manchester Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of International Paper during the 3rd quarter worth about $25,000. Jones Financial Companies Lllp boosted its stake in International Paper by 208.3% during the 4th quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 703 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 475 shares during the period. CVA Family Office LLC acquired a new stake in International Paper in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $27,000. MCF Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of International Paper by 1,094.7% during the first quarter. MCF Advisors LLC now owns 681 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 624 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Venturi Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in shares of International Paper by 2,281.8% in the third quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 786 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 753 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.95% of the company’s stock.

International Paper Stock Up 5.2 %

NYSE:IP opened at $38.84 on Wednesday. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $36.84 and its 200 day moving average price is $35.88. The firm has a market capitalization of $13.49 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 79.27 and a beta of 1.01. The company has a current ratio of 1.68, a quick ratio of 1.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66. International Paper has a 1-year low of $29.00 and a 1-year high of $41.30.

International Paper (NYSE:IP) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 25th. The basic materials company reported $0.17 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.23 by ($0.06). International Paper had a net margin of 0.93% and a return on equity of 7.45%. The company had revenue of $4.62 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.56 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.53 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 8.0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that International Paper will post 1.88 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages recently commented on IP. Citigroup upgraded International Paper from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their price objective for the stock from $36.00 to $46.00 in a research note on Wednesday, March 20th. StockNews.com cut shares of International Paper from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Sunday, January 14th. Truist Financial reissued a “buy” rating and set a $40.00 target price on shares of International Paper in a research note on Wednesday, April 17th. Argus cut International Paper from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, February 26th. Finally, Bank of America raised International Paper from an “underperform” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their target price for the company from $37.00 to $42.00 in a research note on Monday, March 4th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, International Paper presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $38.57.

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.