International Paper (NYSE:IP) Given Consensus Rating of "Moderate Buy" by Brokerages

International Paper (NYSE:IP - Get Free Report) has received an average rating of "Moderate Buy" from the ten analysts that are covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. The average 1-year price target among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $51.54.

Several brokerages have commented on IP. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price objective on shares of International Paper from $56.00 to $64.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, November 1st. Truist Financial reissued a "buy" rating and set a $61.00 price target (up previously from $57.00) on shares of International Paper in a report on Friday, November 1st. Finally, BNP Paribas cut International Paper from a "neutral" rating to an "underperform" rating and set a $48.20 target price on the stock. in a research report on Wednesday, November 13th.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Kathryn D. Sullivan sold 600 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, November 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $58.39, for a total value of $35,034.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 37,145 shares in the company, valued at $2,168,896.55. This represents a 1.59 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Insiders have sold a total of 3,000 shares of company stock worth $158,904 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.55% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of IP. First Horizon Advisors Inc. lifted its stake in shares of International Paper by 5.7% in the third quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 3,282 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $160,000 after acquiring an additional 177 shares during the period. Empirical Finance LLC raised its holdings in International Paper by 1.9% during the 3rd quarter. Empirical Finance LLC now owns 12,270 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $599,000 after purchasing an additional 224 shares during the last quarter. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV lifted its position in shares of International Paper by 20.7% in the 3rd quarter. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV now owns 1,396 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $68,000 after purchasing an additional 239 shares during the period. Retirement Systems of Alabama boosted its stake in shares of International Paper by 0.3% in the 2nd quarter. Retirement Systems of Alabama now owns 76,616 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $3,306,000 after purchasing an additional 246 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Altrius Capital Management Inc increased its position in shares of International Paper by 0.3% during the second quarter. Altrius Capital Management Inc now owns 112,487 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $4,854,000 after buying an additional 296 shares during the period. 81.95% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

International Paper Price Performance

NYSE IP traded up $0.62 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $55.11. The company had a trading volume of 879,393 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,153,893. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $54.94 and a 200-day moving average price of $49.51. The company has a market capitalization of $19.15 billion, a PE ratio of 47.10 and a beta of 1.02. 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 has a twelve month low of $32.70 and a twelve month high of $60.36.

International Paper (NYSE:IP - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 31st. The basic materials company reported $0.44 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.24 by $0.20. The firm had revenue of $4.69 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.70 billion. International Paper had a net margin of 2.25% and a return on equity of 6.49%. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 1.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.64 earnings per share. As a group, analysts anticipate that International Paper will post 1.18 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

International Paper Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 16th. Investors of record on Friday, November 15th were issued a $0.4625 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 15th. This represents a $1.85 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.36%. International Paper's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 158.12%.

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.