International Paper Sees Unusually High Options Volume (NYSE:IP)

International Paper (NYSE:IP) saw some unusual options trading activity on Friday. Traders bought 11,048 put options on the company. This is an increase of approximately 112% compared to the typical volume of 5,203 put options.

International Paper Stock Up 0.4 %

NYSE IP traded up $0.14 on Friday, reaching $35.40. The company had a trading volume of 8,878,062 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,697,186. The firm has a market capitalization of $12.30 billion, a PE ratio of 42.61 and a beta of 0.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65, a current ratio of 1.67 and a quick ratio of 1.19. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $36.73 and a 200-day moving average of $35.83. International Paper has a 1 year low of $29.00 and a 1 year high of $41.28.

International Paper (NYSE:IP) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 1st. The basic materials company reported $0.41 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.34 by $0.07. The company had revenue of $4.60 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.67 billion. International Paper had a return on equity of 8.87% and a net margin of 1.52%. The business’s revenue was down 10.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.87 EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that International Paper will post 1.88 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other news, SVP James P. Jr. Royalty sold 5,800 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $34.75, for a total transaction of $201,550.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 69,488 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,414,708. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders sold a total of 8,800 shares of company stock valued at $310,438 in the last 90 days. 0.55% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On International Paper

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Cullinan Associates Inc. raised its position in shares of International Paper by 18.7% during the 1st quarter. Cullinan Associates Inc. now owns 108,965 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $4,252,000 after acquiring an additional 17,185 shares in the last quarter. AlphaMark Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of International Paper by 10.4% during the 1st quarter. AlphaMark Advisors LLC now owns 3,718 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $145,000 after acquiring an additional 351 shares in the last quarter. Diversified Trust Co raised its position in shares of International Paper by 51.4% during the 1st quarter. Diversified Trust Co now owns 37,255 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $1,454,000 after acquiring an additional 12,646 shares in the last quarter. MCF Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of International Paper by 1,094.7% during the 1st quarter. MCF Advisors LLC now owns 681 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 624 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Register Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of International Paper during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $73,000. 81.95% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on International Paper from $39.00 to $35.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 2nd. Citigroup upgraded International Paper from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $36.00 to $46.00 in a report on Wednesday, March 20th. Argus cut International Paper from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, February 26th. Royal Bank of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $43.00 price target on shares of International Paper in a report on Friday, February 2nd. Finally, StockNews.com cut International Paper from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Sunday, January 14th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, International Paper has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $37.13.

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.