OCONNOR A Distinct Business Unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC Decreases Position in International Paper Company $IP

OCONNOR A Distinct Business Unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC reduced its stake in International Paper Company (NYSE:IP) by 25.5% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 140,600 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 48,100 shares during the period. OCONNOR A Distinct Business Unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC’s holdings in International Paper were worth $6,584,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Rise Advisors LLC lifted its position in International Paper by 281.3% in the first quarter. Rise Advisors LLC now owns 469 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 346 shares during the last quarter. AlphaQuest LLC grew its stake in International Paper by 63,400.0% during the 2nd quarter. AlphaQuest LLC now owns 635 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 634 shares during the last quarter. Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. acquired a new position in International Paper during the second quarter worth approximately $33,000. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT purchased a new stake in International Paper in the first quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Finally, Elevation Point Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of International Paper in the second quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.95% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

IP has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on shares of International Paper from $44.00 to $36.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, October 31st. BNP Paribas Exane upgraded International Paper from an “underperform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $44.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Monday, November 24th. Seaport Res Ptn downgraded International Paper from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, October 6th. Stifel Nicolaus set a $57.80 price target on International Paper and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, October 17th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group dropped their price objective on shares of International Paper from $61.00 to $59.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, September 26th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have assigned a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $50.44.

Insider Activity 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 shares were sold at an average price of $45.53, for a total value of $409,770.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president directly 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 legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.35% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

International Paper Stock Performance

NYSE:IP opened at $39.08 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.04, a current ratio of 1.31 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $41.56 and its 200-day simple moving average is $45.97. International Paper Company has a fifty-two week low of $35.56 and a fifty-two week high of $60.15. The stock has a market cap of $20.64 billion, a PE ratio of -14.97, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.18 and a beta of 1.09.

International Paper (NYSE:IP) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 30th. The basic materials company reported ($0.43) EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.53 by ($0.96). International Paper had a negative return on equity of 0.16% and a negative net margin of 5.45%.The firm had revenue of $6.22 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.76 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.33 EPS. International Paper’s revenue was up 56.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts expect that International Paper Company will post 2.77 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

International Paper Announces Dividend

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 paid a dividend of $0.4625 per share. This represents a $1.85 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.7%. International Paper’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently -70.88%.

International Paper 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.