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

Shares of International Paper (NYSE:IP) have received a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the ten ratings firms that are covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. The average 12 month target price among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $51.88.

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on IP shares. Truist Financial reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $64.00 target price (down previously from $65.00) on shares of International Paper in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $64.00 price objective on shares of International Paper in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Finally, BNP Paribas downgraded International Paper from a “neutral” rating to an “underperform” rating and set a $48.20 target price on the stock. in a research report on Wednesday, November 13th.

International Paper Price Performance

IP stock opened at $54.66 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $18.99 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.82 and a beta of 1.02. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $55.55 and a 200-day moving average price of $52.15. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a quick ratio of 1.08 and a current ratio of 1.49. International Paper has a 52-week low of $33.16 and a 52-week high of $60.36.

International Paper (NYSE:IP) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The basic materials company reported ($0.02) EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.03 by ($0.05). International Paper had a return on equity of 4.75% and a net margin of 2.99%. As a group, equities analysts expect that International Paper will post 2.89 EPS for the current year.

International Paper Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 24th will be paid a $0.4625 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, February 24th. This represents a $1.85 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.38%. International Paper’s dividend payout ratio is presently 117.84%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other International Paper news, Director Kathryn D. Sullivan sold 600 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $58.39, for a total value of $35,034.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 37,145 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,168,896.55. This represents a 1.59 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.55% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of International Paper

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of IP. FMR LLC grew its position in shares of International Paper by 88.4% during the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 17,839,237 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $871,447,000 after purchasing an additional 8,370,273 shares in the last quarter. Point72 Asset Management L.P. grew its holdings in International Paper by 511.1% during the 3rd quarter. Point72 Asset Management L.P. now owns 2,970,432 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $145,106,000 after buying an additional 2,484,386 shares in the last quarter. Diamond Hill Capital Management Inc. raised its position in shares of International Paper by 125.1% during the third quarter. Diamond Hill Capital Management Inc. now owns 4,235,846 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $206,921,000 after buying an additional 2,354,341 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of International Paper in the fourth quarter worth $109,201,000. Finally, Ceredex Value Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of International Paper during the third quarter worth $84,526,000. 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.