International Paper (NYSE:IP) Receives $50.21 Consensus PT from Brokerages

International Paper (NYSE:IP) has been given an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the nine ratings firms that are covering the company, MarketBeat reports. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, six have issued a buy recommendation and one has assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year price objective among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $50.21.

Several equities analysts have commented on IP shares. Stifel Nicolaus started coverage on shares of International Paper in a research report on Tuesday, July 9th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $48.70 price target for the company. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price objective on shares of International Paper from $52.00 to $56.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 25th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on shares of International Paper from $43.00 to $45.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 25th. Argus raised shares of International Paper from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $52.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Wednesday, August 14th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group raised shares of International Paper from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from $38.00 to $57.00 in a research report on Thursday, May 23rd.

International Paper Stock Down 1.0 %

IP stock opened at $48.49 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $16.84 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 98.96 and a beta of 1.06. The company has a current ratio of 1.59, a quick ratio of 1.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62. International Paper has a 12 month low of $31.76 and a 12 month high of $49.24. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $45.62 and a two-hundred day moving average of $41.16.

International Paper (NYSE:IP) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 24th. The basic materials company reported $0.55 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.41 by $0.14. The firm had revenue of $4.73 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.78 billion. International Paper had a net margin of 2.34% and a return on equity of 7.28%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 1.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.59 EPS. As a group, analysts forecast that International Paper will post 1.64 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

International Paper Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 16th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, August 15th will be given a $0.4625 dividend. This represents a $1.85 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.82%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, August 15th. International Paper’s dividend payout ratio is presently 377.55%.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Kathryn D. Sullivan sold 600 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $45.11, for a total transaction of $27,066.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 43,402 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,957,864.22. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders sold a total of 3,600 shares of company stock valued at $161,100 over the last 90 days. Insiders own 0.55% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On International Paper

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in IP. Jones Financial Companies Lllp increased its position in shares of International Paper by 208.3% in the fourth quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 703 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 475 shares in the last quarter. Innealta Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of International Paper in the second quarter valued at $26,000. MCF Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of International Paper by 1,094.7% in the first quarter. MCF Advisors LLC now owns 681 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 624 shares during the period. Crewe Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of International Paper in the first quarter valued at $29,000. Finally, Assetmark Inc. boosted its stake in shares of International Paper by 309.0% in the fourth quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 859 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 649 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.95% of the company’s stock.

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.