International Paper (NYSE:IP) Holdings Cut by Heartland Advisors Inc.

Heartland Advisors Inc. reduced its stake in shares of International Paper (NYSE:IP - Free Report) by 4.2% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 131,557 shares of the basic materials company's stock after selling 5,728 shares during the quarter. Heartland Advisors Inc.'s holdings in International Paper were worth $7,080,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of IP. Sierra Ocean LLC acquired a new stake in International Paper in the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. Centricity Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of International Paper in the fourth quarter valued at about $26,000. Brooklyn Investment Group acquired a new stake in shares of International Paper in the third quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Picton Mahoney Asset Management increased its stake in shares of International Paper by 67.0% during the 4th quarter. Picton Mahoney Asset Management now owns 536 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 215 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new position in shares of International Paper during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $28,000. 81.95% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have weighed in on IP. Citigroup initiated coverage on International Paper in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. They set a "buy" rating and a $60.00 price target for the company. StockNews.com cut International Paper from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, March 28th. Royal Bank of Canada restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $64.00 target price on shares of International Paper in a report on Wednesday, March 26th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. began coverage on shares of International Paper in a report on Thursday, March 20th. They set an "overweight" rating and a $59.00 price target for the company. Finally, Bank of America assumed coverage on shares of International Paper in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. They issued a "neutral" rating for the company. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $55.32.

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International Paper Trading Up 2.2 %

NYSE:IP traded up $1.20 on Wednesday, hitting $54.85. 1,417,349 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 9,465,944. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $54.69 and a 200-day moving average of $53.83. The stock has a market cap of $28.86 billion, a PE ratio of 34.94, a PEG ratio of 0.39 and a beta of 1.02. The company has a current ratio of 1.49, a quick ratio of 1.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66. International Paper has a fifty-two week low of $33.16 and a fifty-two week high of $60.36.

International Paper (NYSE:IP - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The basic materials company reported ($0.02) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.03 by ($0.05). International Paper had a return on equity of 4.75% and a net margin of 2.99%. As a group, equities analysts expect that International Paper will post 2.77 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

International Paper Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Investors of record on Monday, February 24th were paid a dividend of $0.4625 per share. This represents a $1.85 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.37%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 24th. International Paper's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 117.83%.

International Paper Company 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.