International Paper Company (NYSE:IP) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

Shares of International Paper Company (NYSE:IP) have been assigned an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the fourteen ratings firms that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, three have issued a hold recommendation and nine have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year price objective among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $43.7250.

IP has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Seaport Research Partners upgraded shares of International Paper from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $39.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Zacks Research cut International Paper from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 23rd. Wells Fargo & Company raised International Paper from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and raised their price objective for the company from $38.00 to $39.00 in a research note on Monday, May 4th. Royal Bank Of Canada reduced their price objective on International Paper from $48.00 to $45.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Finally, BNP Paribas Exane reduced their price objective on International Paper from $44.00 to $42.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, March 25th.

International Paper Stock Down 0.5%

Shares of NYSE IP opened at $38.84 on Friday. International Paper has a one year low of $29.26 and a one year high of $56.13. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55, a current ratio of 1.21 and a quick ratio of 0.94. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $33.86 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $38.16. The stock has a market capitalization of $20.57 billion, a P/E ratio of -6.11 and a beta of 0.96.

International Paper (NYSE:IP) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The basic materials company reported $0.15 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.18 by ($0.03). International Paper had a negative net margin of 13.42% and a negative return on equity of 0.49%. The business had revenue of $5.97 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.02 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.17 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 13.4% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts expect that International Paper will post 1.38 EPS for the current fiscal year.

International Paper Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 12th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 22nd were given a $0.4625 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 22nd. This represents a $1.85 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.8%. International Paper’s payout ratio is presently -29.09%.

Insider Activity

In other International Paper news, Director Scott Tozier bought 10,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 1st. The shares were bought at an average cost of $31.30 per share, with a total value of $313,000.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director directly owned 10,025 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $313,782.50. This trade represents a 40,000.00% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Insiders own 0.21% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of International Paper

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of IP. McIlrath & Eck LLC boosted its position in International Paper by 452.6% during the 4th quarter. McIlrath & Eck LLC now owns 641 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 525 shares in the last quarter. MV Capital Management Inc. bought a new stake in International Paper during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Ascentis Independent Advisors bought a new stake in International Paper during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $28,000. DV Equities LLC bought a new stake in International Paper during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Finally, Sound Income Strategies LLC boosted its position in International Paper by 94.0% during the 4th quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 710 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 344 shares in the last quarter. 81.95% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About International Paper

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.