Wells Fargo & Company Has Lowered Expectations for International Paper (NYSE:IP) Stock Price

International Paper (NYSE:IP) had its price objective dropped by Wells Fargo & Company from $40.00 to $38.00 in a research note issued to investors on Friday,Benzinga reports. The firm presently has an “equal weight” rating on the basic materials company’s stock. Wells Fargo & Company‘s price target would indicate a potential upside of 11.54% from the stock’s current price.

A number of other research firms have also recently issued reports on IP. Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of International Paper in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Zacks Research raised International Paper from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, March 13th. Royal Bank Of Canada reduced their price target on International Paper from $55.00 to $54.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 30th. Truist Financial set a $48.00 price objective on International Paper in a report on Thursday, February 26th. Finally, Argus cut their price objective on International Paper from $55.00 to $50.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, December 22nd. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, International Paper currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $48.06.

International Paper Trading Up 0.2%

Shares of International Paper stock traded up $0.07 on Friday, hitting $34.07. The stock had a trading volume of 1,959,370 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,985,005. The company has a quick ratio of 1.02, a current ratio of 1.28 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60. International Paper has a one year low of $33.65 and a one year high of $56.64. The stock has a market cap of $18.04 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -5.09 and a beta of 1.09. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $42.80 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $42.54.

International Paper (NYSE:IP) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The basic materials company reported ($0.08) EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.28 by ($0.36). The firm had revenue of $6.01 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.90 billion. International Paper had a negative net margin of 14.12% and a negative return on equity of 0.35%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 53.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned ($0.02) earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that International Paper will post 2.77 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Anders Gustafsson acquired 13,217 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 12th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $37.83 per share, with a total value of $499,999.11. Following the transaction, the director owned 26,092 shares in the company, valued at $987,060.36. The trade was a 102.66% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Andrew K. Silvernail bought 50,000 shares of International Paper stock in a transaction on Friday, January 30th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $39.98 per share, for a total transaction of $1,999,000.00. Following the acquisition, the chief executive officer directly owned 50,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,999,000. This trade represents a ∞ increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have purchased 76,092 shares of company stock worth $2,999,064 in the last quarter. 0.35% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On International Paper

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Stance Capital LLC raised its holdings in International Paper by 59.2% in the fourth quarter. Stance Capital LLC now owns 61,177 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $2,410,000 after purchasing an additional 22,761 shares in the last quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. boosted its holdings in shares of International Paper by 2.3% during the 4th quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. now owns 13,274 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $523,000 after buying an additional 302 shares in the last quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC grew its position in shares of International Paper by 15.7% in the 4th quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 69,766 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $2,756,000 after buying an additional 9,490 shares during the period. Hsbc Holdings PLC increased its stake in shares of International Paper by 2.6% in the 4th quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 906,269 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $35,743,000 after acquiring an additional 22,984 shares in the last quarter. Finally, SHP Wealth Management bought a new position in shares of International Paper in the 4th quarter worth about $38,000. 81.95% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Key Stories Impacting International Paper

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

• Positive Sentiment: International Paper announced plans to build a new 468,000 sq. ft. sustainable packaging facility in Rankin County, Mississippi — a capacity/capex move that supports future revenue growth and ESG positioning. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks Research nudged up some later-quarter EPS estimates (Q4 2026 and Q4 2027), which modestly improves longer‑term earnings visibility and offsets some near‑term weakness in forecasts. (No direct link available)
• Neutral Sentiment: Aggregate analyst view remains mixed: separate coverage notes show a consensus rating around “Moderate Buy” from some outlets while Zacks maintains “Hold” — signaling no clear, broad analyst conviction to drive a sustained re‑rating. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks trimmed several near‑term quarter estimates (Q1 2026, Q2 2026, Q3 2026, Q1 2027 and portions of 2027), which signals pressure on near‑term margins or volumes and can weigh on short‑term stock performance; Zacks still keeps a “Hold.” (No direct link available)
• Negative Sentiment: Coverage highlights that IP has materially underperformed the S&P 500 over the past year, a performance drag that keeps some investors cautious despite project announcements and small estimate tweaks. Article Title

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.