Investors Purchase Large Volume of Put Options on International Paper (NYSE:IP)

International Paper Company (NYSE:IP) saw some unusual options trading on Thursday. Traders purchased 5,714 put options on the company. This is an increase of approximately 70% compared to the average volume of 3,360 put options.

Trending Headlines about International Paper

Here are the key news stories impacting International Paper this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Director Scott Tozier bought 10,000 shares at about $31.30, a direct insider purchase that can be viewed as a vote of confidence by management. SEC Form 4
• Positive Sentiment: Balance‑sheet and cash flow actions: IP received ~$1.1B net proceeds from the sale of its Global Cellulose Fibers business, used ~$660M to pay down debt, generated $611M of operating cash and reported $94M FCF for Q1 — these moves materially improve liquidity and lower leverage. Press Release
• Positive Sentiment: Management’s 2026 targets: IP is guiding to $3.2B–$3.5B of adjusted EBITDA for 2026 and is targeting $300M–$500M of free cash flow, providing a framework for recovery if cost pressures ease. SA: 2026 targets
• Neutral Sentiment: Company filed an 8‑K and held its Q1 call; the transcript and slide deck are available for investors to assess management commentary on costs and the EMEA separation. TipRanks 8‑K
• Neutral Sentiment: Unusually large options flow was observed (big increase in both call and put activity), signaling heightened short‑term speculative interest and volatility. (No single authoritative story; flagged in market activity notes.)
• Negative Sentiment: Q1 missed expectations on EPS ($0.15 vs. $0.18 consensus) and revenue ($5.97B vs. ~$6.02B), and margins were pressured — a direct near‑term negative for sentiment. Q1 results
• Negative Sentiment: Analysts cut forecasts and price targets after Q1 and guidance; JPMorgan trimmed its PT to $43 and moved to neutral, and several outlets report analysts “slashing” forecasts — these actions weigh on near‑term upside. Benzinga: analyst reactions
• Negative Sentiment: Management trimmed its 2026 adjusted EBITDA outlook vs. prior expectations and cited higher costs and macro pressures — the primary driver of the recent negative revisions in sentiment. Zacks: lowered outlook

Insider Transactions at International Paper

In related news, Director Anders Gustafsson purchased 13,217 shares of International Paper stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 12th. The shares were bought at an average price of $37.83 per share, with a total value of $499,999.11. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 26,092 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $987,060.36. This trade represents a 102.66% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Scott Tozier purchased 10,000 shares of International Paper stock in a transaction on Friday, May 1st. The stock was bought at an average cost of $31.30 per share, for a total transaction of $313,000.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 10,025 shares in the company, valued at $313,782.50. This represents a 40,000.00% increase in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders acquired a total of 36,092 shares of company stock worth $1,313,064 in the last ninety days. 0.21% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. 180 Wealth Advisors LLC grew its stake in International Paper by 13.5% during the 1st quarter. 180 Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 6,574 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $235,000 after buying an additional 781 shares during the last quarter. Midwest Trust Co grew its stake in International Paper by 1.7% during the 1st quarter. Midwest Trust Co now owns 79,571 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $2,841,000 after buying an additional 1,359 shares during the last quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp grew its stake in International Paper by 654.8% during the 1st quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 146,080 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $5,215,000 after buying an additional 126,726 shares during the last quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC grew its stake in International Paper by 27.9% during the 1st quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 18,370 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $656,000 after buying an additional 4,002 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Ascentis Independent Advisors purchased a new position in International Paper during the 1st quarter worth approximately $28,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.95% of the company’s stock.

International Paper Price Performance

Shares of NYSE IP opened at $31.85 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55, a quick ratio of 1.02 and a current ratio of 1.21. International Paper has a fifty-two week low of $29.45 and a fifty-two week high of $56.13. The firm has a market capitalization of $16.86 billion, a PE ratio of -4.75 and a beta of 0.94. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $37.25 and its 200-day simple moving average is $40.12.

International Paper (NYSE:IP) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The basic materials company reported $0.15 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.18 by ($0.03). The firm had revenue of $5.97 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.02 billion. International Paper had a negative return on equity of 0.49% and a negative net margin of 13.42%.The company’s quarterly revenue was up 13.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.17 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that International Paper will post 1.63 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

IP has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Jefferies Financial Group raised their target price on International Paper from $47.00 to $48.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Seaport Research Partners raised International Paper from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $39.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Friday. BNP Paribas Exane cut their target price on International Paper from $44.00 to $42.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, March 25th. Citigroup cut their target price on International Paper from $47.00 to $44.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 14th. Finally, Truist Financial cut their target price on International Paper from $48.00 to $44.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 15th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $44.98.

About International Paper

International Paper is a global producer of renewable fiber-based products, focused primarily on pulp, paper, and packaging. The company manufactures containerboard and corrugated packaging used for shipping and retail display, as well as a range of specialty papers and pulp products that serve industrial, consumer goods, and e-commerce customers. Its product portfolio is oriented toward large-scale packaging solutions, tissue and paper grades, and raw pulp for a variety of manufacturing uses.

Founded in 1898, International Paper is headquartered in Memphis, Tennessee, and is one of the largest and longest-established companies in the forest products sector.