Stephens Inc. AR Lowers Holdings in International Paper Company $IP

Stephens Inc. AR lowered its stake in shares of International Paper Company (NYSE:IP) by 16.7% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 36,703 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 7,366 shares during the period. Stephens Inc. AR’s holdings in International Paper were worth $1,719,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Stratos Wealth Partners LTD. lifted its holdings in International Paper by 2.0% during the first quarter. Stratos Wealth Partners LTD. now owns 14,074 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $751,000 after buying an additional 282 shares during the period. Spire Wealth Management lifted its holdings in International Paper by 2,343.9% during the first quarter. Spire Wealth Management now owns 1,613 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $86,000 after buying an additional 1,547 shares during the period. Consolidated Planning Corp purchased a new stake in International Paper during the second quarter worth $317,000. MBB Public Markets I LLC purchased a new stake in International Paper during the first quarter worth $313,000. Finally, Alliancebernstein L.P. lifted its holdings in International Paper by 47.0% during the first quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 553,438 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $29,526,000 after buying an additional 176,991 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.95% of the company’s stock.

International Paper Stock Performance

Shares of IP stock opened at $49.20 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.33, a quick ratio of 0.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $47.16 and its 200-day simple moving average is $47.84. International Paper Company has a 12-month low of $43.27 and a 12-month high of $60.36. The company has a market cap of $25.98 billion, a PE ratio of -492.00, a PEG ratio of 0.58 and a beta of 1.10.

International Paper (NYSE:IP) last released its earnings results on Thursday, July 31st. The basic materials company reported $0.20 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.38 by ($0.18). International Paper had a negative net margin of 0.12% and a positive return on equity of 2.63%. The firm had revenue of $6.77 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.64 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.55 earnings per share. International Paper’s revenue was up 42.9% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts expect that International Paper Company will post 2.77 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

International Paper Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 16th. Investors of record on Friday, November 14th will be given a $0.4625 dividend. This represents a $1.85 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.8%. International Paper’s payout ratio is -1,850.00%.

Insider Activity

In related news, SVP Joseph R. Saab sold 9,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $45.53, for a total value of $409,770.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 27,673 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,259,951.69. This represents a 24.54% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.35% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have weighed in on the company. Bank of America upgraded International Paper from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their target price for the stock from $55.00 to $57.00 in a report on Thursday, August 28th. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their target price on International Paper from $61.00 to $59.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, September 26th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. downgraded International Paper from an “overweight” rating to a “neutral” rating and reduced their price target for the stock from $55.00 to $54.00 in a research report on Tuesday, August 5th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on International Paper from $43.00 to $44.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 7th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus set a $57.80 price target on International Paper and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, October 17th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have issued a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $53.85.

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.