International Paper (NYSE:IP) Lifted to “Buy” at Jefferies Financial Group

International Paper (NYSE:IP) was upgraded by stock analysts at Jefferies Financial Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report released on Thursday, Marketbeat reports. The brokerage presently has a $57.00 target price on the basic materials company’s stock, up from their previous target price of $38.00. Jefferies Financial Group’s price objective suggests a potential upside of 35.38% from the company’s previous close.

Several other equities analysts have also commented on the stock. Truist Financial reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $40.00 price objective on shares of International Paper in a research report on Wednesday, April 17th. Argus downgraded shares of International Paper from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, February 26th. 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 raised their target price for the company from $37.00 to $42.00 in a research report on Monday, March 4th. Finally, Citigroup upgraded shares of International Paper from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their price target for the company from $36.00 to $46.00 in a report on Wednesday, March 20th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, International Paper currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $42.14.

International Paper Stock Up 0.5 %

IP opened at $42.11 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.22, a current ratio of 1.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $37.83 and a 200-day moving average price of $36.39. International Paper has a twelve month low of $29.00 and a twelve month high of $42.82. The stock has a market capitalization of $14.62 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 85.93 and a beta of 1.01.

International Paper (NYSE:IP) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 25th. The basic materials company reported $0.17 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.23 by ($0.06). The firm had revenue of $4.62 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.56 billion. International Paper had a return on equity of 7.45% and a net margin of 0.93%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 8.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.53 earnings per share. Equities research analysts forecast that International Paper will post 1.85 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other International Paper news, SVP James P. Jr. Royalty sold 5,800 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on 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 sale, the senior vice president now owns 69,488 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,414,708. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 9,400 shares of company stock valued at $334,570. 0.55% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of International Paper

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of IP. Manchester Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in International Paper in the third quarter worth $25,000. Jones Financial Companies Lllp boosted its position in shares of International Paper by 208.3% in 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 purchased a new stake in International Paper in the 4th quarter worth about $27,000. MCF Advisors LLC raised its stake 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 worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 624 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Crewe Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of International Paper during the 1st quarter worth about $29,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.95% of the company’s stock.

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.