International Paper (NYSE:IP) Stock Rating Reaffirmed as “Buy” by Argus

International Paper (NYSE:IP)‘s stock had its “buy” rating reiterated by stock analysts at Argus in a research report issued to clients and investors on Thursday, September 24th, Benzinga reports. They presently have a $45.00 target price on the basic materials company’s stock. Argus’ price target points to a potential upside of 40.70% from the company’s current price.

Several other research analysts have also issued reports on IP. Citigroup raised their target price on International Paper from $43.00 to $48.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, July 31st. Seaport Research Partners reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $46.00 target price on shares of International Paper in a research report on Wednesday, August 12th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on International Paper from $42.00 to $46.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, July 31st. Bank of America raised International Paper from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $46.00 target price for the company in a research report on Friday, September 11th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on International Paper from $61.00 to $62.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 23rd. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $48.82.

International Paper Trading Down 3.6%

Shares of NYSE:IP traded down $1.19 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $31.98. 912,954 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 6,269,270. The stock has a market capitalization of $16.94 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -4.90, a P/E/G ratio of 4.24 and a beta of 0.93. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57, a quick ratio of 0.84 and a current ratio of 1.10. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $38.50 and its 200 day moving average price is $36.31. International Paper has a 12 month low of $29.26 and a 12 month high of $50.25.

International Paper (NYSE:IP) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The basic materials company reported $0.04 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.04) by $0.08. The company had revenue of $6 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.19 billion. International Paper had a negative return on equity of 1.09% and a negative net margin of 14.20%.The business’s quarterly revenue was down 11.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $0.20 earnings per share. Analysts predict that International Paper will post 1.31 earnings per share for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in IP. Capital International Investors increased its holdings in shares of International Paper by 29.4% in the fourth quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 63,413,335 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $2,498,013,000 after purchasing an additional 14,422,616 shares during the last quarter. Capital Research Global Investors grew its position in International Paper by 0.4% during the fourth quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 54,535,444 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $2,148,154,000 after buying an additional 204,654 shares during the period. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new stake in International Paper during the second quarter valued at $1,940,896,000. State Street Corp grew its position in International Paper by 7.1% during the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 32,999,909 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $1,257,297,000 after buying an additional 2,189,597 shares during the period. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp acquired a new stake in International Paper during the second quarter valued at $689,498,000. 81.95% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About International Paper

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.