International Paper (NYSE:IP) Announces Earnings Results

International Paper (NYSE:IP – Get Rating) released its earnings results on Tuesday. The basic materials company reported $0.87 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.69 by $0.18, Briefing.com reports. International Paper had a net margin of 7.11% and a return on equity of 15.81%. The firm had revenue of $5.13 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.20 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.78 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up .9% compared to the same quarter last year.

International Paper Trading Up 0.3 %

NYSE:IP traded up $0.12 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $40.97. 282,595 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,347,979. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57, a current ratio of 1.35 and a quick ratio of 0.97. The firm has a market cap of $14.57 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.08 and a beta of 1.05. International Paper has a 52-week low of $30.69 and a 52-week high of $50.23. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $36.52 and a 200 day simple moving average of $37.36.

International Paper Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 17th will be paid a dividend of $0.4625 per share. This represents a $1.85 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.52%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, February 16th. International Paper’s dividend payout ratio is currently 45.45%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other International Paper news, SVP Thomas J. Plath sold 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $36.00, for a total transaction of $72,000.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 49,953 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,798,308. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. 0.42% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On International Paper

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in IP. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS increased its position in shares of International Paper by 6.6% in the first quarter. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS now owns 51,817 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $2,391,000 after acquiring an additional 3,209 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Trust N.A. grew its stake in shares of International Paper by 4.5% during the first quarter. Raymond James Trust N.A. now owns 8,660 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $399,000 after acquiring an additional 369 shares in the last quarter. Desjardins Global Asset Management Inc. increased its position in shares of International Paper by 45.5% during the first quarter. Desjardins Global Asset Management Inc. now owns 675 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 211 shares during the last quarter. Cibc World Market Inc. acquired a new position in shares of International Paper in the first quarter worth about $206,000. Finally, Vontobel Holding Ltd. lifted its stake in shares of International Paper by 1.6% in the first quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. now owns 41,970 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $1,947,000 after acquiring an additional 676 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 83.64% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts recently weighed in on IP shares. Royal Bank of Canada upped their target price on shares of International Paper from $36.00 to $40.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday. StockNews.com started coverage on International Paper in a report on Wednesday, October 12th. They issued a “buy” rating for the company. Citigroup upped their price target on International Paper from $36.00 to $44.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday. Argus boosted their price objective on shares of International Paper from $43.00 to $50.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday. Finally, BMO Capital Markets dropped their price target on shares of International Paper from $60.00 to $50.00 in a research note on Friday, October 28th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $38.40.

About International Paper

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International Paper Co engages in the manufacture of paper and packaging products. It operates through the following segments: Industrial Packaging, Global Cellulose Fibers, and Printing Papers. The Industrial Packaging segment is involved in manufacturing containerboards, which include linerboard, medium, whitetop, recycled linerboard, recycled medium, and saturating kraft.