Q3 EPS Forecast for International Paper Reduced by Analyst

International Paper Company (NYSE:IP) – Investment analysts at Zacks Research decreased their Q3 2026 EPS estimates for International Paper in a research note issued to investors on Monday, October 5th. Zacks Research analyst Team now forecasts that the basic materials company will earn $0.31 per share for the quarter, down from their prior estimate of $0.32. Zacks Research has a “Hold” rating on the stock. The consensus estimate for International Paper’s current full-year earnings is $1.31 per share.

IP has been the topic of a number of other reports. UBS Group cut their price objective on International Paper from $47.00 to $35.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday. Weiss Ratings raised International Paper from a “sell (d)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a research report on Friday, August 21st. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their price target on International Paper from $48.00 to $52.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, July 31st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of International Paper from $61.00 to $62.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 23rd. Finally, Seaport Research Partners restated a “buy” rating and issued a $46.00 price objective on shares of International Paper in a research note on Wednesday, August 12th. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, International Paper currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $47.82.

International Paper Stock Performance

IP opened at $32.18 on Tuesday. The company has a market cap of $17.04 billion, a PE ratio of -4.94, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.08 and a beta of 0.93. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $37.75 and a 200-day moving average of $36.18. International Paper has a 52-week low of $29.26 and a 52-week high of $50.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57, a quick ratio of 0.84 and a current ratio of 1.10.

International Paper (NYSE:IP) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The basic materials company reported $0.04 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.04) by $0.08. International Paper had a negative net margin of 14.20% and a negative return on equity of 1.09%. The firm had revenue of $6 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.19 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.20 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 11.3% on a year-over-year basis.

Institutional Trading of International Paper

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Man Group plc bought a new stake in shares of International Paper during the second quarter worth $24,640,000. Amundi bought a new position in shares of International Paper in the second quarter valued at about $82,666,000. HighTower Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of International Paper in the second quarter valued at about $1,603,000. D.A. Davidson & CO. lifted its position in International Paper by 29.6% during the 1st quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. now owns 137,856 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $4,921,000 after buying an additional 31,518 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Nykredit A S acquired a new position in International Paper during the 2nd quarter worth about $104,683,000. 81.95% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, VP William Hamic sold 24,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $41.20, for a total transaction of $1,009,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president directly owned 106,952 shares in the company, valued at $4,406,422.40. The trade was a 18.64% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CAO Holly G. Goughnour sold 3,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $41.96, for a total value of $146,860.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 34,248 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,437,046.08. This represents a 9.27% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 0.21% of the stock is owned by insiders.

International Paper Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 14th were given a $0.4625 dividend. This represents a $1.85 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 14th. International Paper’s payout ratio is currently -28.37%.

International Paper Company Profile

International Paper (NYSE: IP) is a global producer of sustainable packaging, pulp and paper products. The company manufactures corrugated packaging, containerboard and other fiber-based packaging solutions used to protect, transport and display goods, along with market pulp and specialty paper products.

Founded in 1898, International Paper has developed operations serving customers across North America and Europe. Its activities also include recycling and the recovery of fiber used in paper and packaging production, supporting the company’s focus on renewable and recyclable materials.

International Paper completed its combination with DS Smith in 2025, expanding its geographic reach and packaging capabilities.