International Paper Company (NYSE:IP) Given Average Rating of “Hold” by Analysts

International Paper Company (NYSE:IP) has been given a consensus recommendation of “Hold” by the fourteen ratings firms that are covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, four have issued a hold recommendation and seven have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month price objective among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $53.8545.

A number of research analysts have recently commented on IP shares. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on International Paper from $43.00 to $44.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 7th. Stifel Nicolaus set a $57.80 price target on International Paper and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, October 17th. Wall Street Zen cut International Paper from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Saturday, October 18th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut International Paper from an “overweight” rating to a “neutral” rating and dropped their price target for the company from $55.00 to $54.00 in a research report on Tuesday, August 5th. Finally, UBS Group dropped their price target on International Paper from $60.00 to $55.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, October 6th.

Insider Transactions at International Paper

In related news, SVP Joseph R. Saab sold 9,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $45.53, for a total transaction of $409,770.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president owned 27,673 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,259,951.69. This represents a 24.54% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.35% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of International Paper

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of International Paper by 2.0% in the 2nd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 63,879,190 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $2,991,462,000 after acquiring an additional 1,255,650 shares in the last quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD raised its holdings in shares of International Paper by 8.8% in the 1st quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 51,798,017 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $2,763,426,000 after acquiring an additional 4,201,422 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp raised its holdings in shares of International Paper by 3.2% in the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 29,386,616 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $1,376,175,000 after acquiring an additional 902,741 shares in the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp raised its holdings in shares of International Paper by 9.3% in the 2nd quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 18,737,896 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $877,496,000 after acquiring an additional 1,592,411 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of International Paper by 2.3% in the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 13,340,382 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $622,133,000 after acquiring an additional 294,296 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.95% of the company’s stock.

International Paper Stock Down 0.5%

Shares of NYSE:IP opened at $48.86 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $25.80 billion, a PE ratio of -488.60, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.59 and a beta of 1.10. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52, a current ratio of 1.33 and a quick ratio of 0.96. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $47.20 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $47.89. International Paper has a 1 year low of $43.27 and a 1 year high of $60.36.

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

International Paper Dividend Announcement

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

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.