B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. Holding AG Invests $5.76 Million in International Paper (NYSE:IP)

B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. Holding AG purchased a new position in shares of International Paper (NYSE:IP - Free Report) in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm purchased 117,959 shares of the basic materials company's stock, valued at approximately $5,762,000.

Several other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new stake in International Paper during the third quarter worth $28,000. Innealta Capital LLC acquired a new stake in International Paper during the second quarter worth $26,000. Crewe Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in International Paper during the first quarter worth $29,000. Eastern Bank acquired a new stake in International Paper during the third quarter worth $40,000. Finally, Abich Financial Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in International Paper during the third quarter worth $42,000. 81.95% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

International Paper Trading Up 1.7 %

IP stock traded up $1.00 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $58.84. The company's stock had a trading volume of 7,558,650 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,334,652. The company has a market cap of $20.44 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 50.29 and a beta of 1.02. International Paper has a 12 month low of $32.21 and a 12 month high of $60.22. The business's 50 day moving average price is $51.01 and its 200 day moving average price is $47.05. The company has a current ratio of 1.53, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62.

International Paper (NYSE:IP - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 31st. The basic materials company reported $0.44 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.24 by $0.20. International Paper had a return on equity of 6.49% and a net margin of 2.25%. The business had revenue of $4.69 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.70 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.64 earnings per share. The business's revenue was up 1.6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts predict that International Paper will post 1.29 EPS for the current year.

International Paper Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 16th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 15th will be given a dividend of $0.4625 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 15th. This represents a $1.85 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.14%. International Paper's dividend payout ratio is presently 158.12%.

Insider Activity

In other International Paper news, SVP Clay R. Ellis sold 9,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $48.83, for a total value of $439,470.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 49,832 shares in the company, valued at $2,433,296.56. This represents a 15.30 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Kathryn D. Sullivan sold 600 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $56.19, for a total value of $33,714.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 37,745 shares in the company, valued at $2,120,891.55. This represents a 1.56 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 19,440 shares of company stock valued at $944,540 in the last 90 days. Insiders own 0.55% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

IP has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on shares of International Paper from $43.00 to $45.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 25th. Truist Financial reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $61.00 price target (up previously from $57.00) on shares of International Paper in a research report on Friday, November 1st. BNP Paribas downgraded shares of International Paper from a "neutral" rating to an "underperform" rating and set a $48.20 price target on the stock. in a research report on Wednesday, November 13th. Royal Bank of Canada upped their price target on shares of International Paper from $56.00 to $64.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, November 1st. Finally, Argus upgraded shares of International Paper from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $52.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, August 14th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, International Paper presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $51.54.

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.