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

Shares of International Paper (NYSE:IP) have earned a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the nine ratings firms that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. The average 12-month price objective among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $49.96.

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Seaport Res Ptn upgraded shares of International Paper from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, June 28th. Stifel Nicolaus began coverage on International Paper in a report on Tuesday, July 9th. They set a “hold” rating and a $48.70 target price for the company. Jefferies Financial Group raised International Paper from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $38.00 to $57.00 in a research note on Thursday, May 23rd. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on shares of International Paper from $43.00 to $45.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 25th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price target on shares of International Paper from $52.00 to $56.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, July 25th.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other International Paper news, Director Kathryn D. Sullivan sold 600 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $45.11, for a total value of $27,066.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 43,402 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,957,864.22. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 3,600 shares of company stock worth $157,386. Corporate insiders own 0.55% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On International Paper

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Bank of New York Mellon Corp lifted its holdings in International Paper by 133.7% in the 2nd quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 14,214,754 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $613,367,000 after purchasing an additional 8,132,332 shares during the last quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD boosted its holdings in shares of International Paper by 35.1% during the 1st quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 21,135,702 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $824,716,000 after buying an additional 5,492,035 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its position in International Paper by 61.5% during the 4th quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 13,030,839 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $471,065,000 after acquiring an additional 4,960,005 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of International Paper in the fourth quarter worth about $94,913,000. Finally, ING Groep NV grew its holdings in International Paper by 74.2% in the 4th quarter. ING Groep NV now owns 828,554 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $29,952,000 after buying an additional 352,934 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.95% of the company’s stock.

International Paper Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:IP opened at $45.94 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $15.96 billion, a PE ratio of 93.76 and a beta of 1.06. International Paper has a fifty-two week low of $31.76 and a fifty-two week high of $47.40. The company has a quick ratio of 1.17, a current ratio of 1.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $45.06 and a 200 day simple moving average of $39.78.

International Paper (NYSE:IP) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, July 24th. The basic materials company reported $0.55 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.41 by $0.14. International Paper had a net margin of 2.34% and a return on equity of 7.28%. The firm had revenue of $4.73 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.78 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.59 EPS. International Paper’s quarterly revenue was up 1.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that International Paper will post 1.64 EPS for the current year.

International Paper Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 16th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, August 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.4625 per share. This represents a $1.85 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.03%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, August 15th. International Paper’s dividend payout ratio is currently 377.55%.

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.