International Paper Company $IP Shares Newly Bought by Sigma Planning Corp

Sigma Planning Corp purchased a new stake in International Paper Company (NYSE:IP) in the third quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor purchased 32,558 shares of the basic materials company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,080,000.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in IP. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new position in shares of International Paper in the second quarter worth about $1,940,896,000. State Street Corp increased its position in shares of International Paper by 7.1% in 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 in the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp acquired a new position in shares of International Paper during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $689,498,000. Atlas FRM LLC acquired a new stake in International Paper in the 2nd quarter valued at $374,904,000. Finally, Hill City Capital LP acquired a new position in International Paper during the second quarter worth $194,310,000. 81.95% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

International Paper Trading Up 4.2%

Shares of International Paper stock opened at $35.93 on Friday. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $35.04 and a 200 day moving average of $37.46. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59, a quick ratio of 0.84 and a current ratio of 1.01. The firm has a market capitalization of $19.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -5.48, a PEG ratio of 4.56 and a beta of 0.93. International Paper Company has a fifty-two week low of $29.26 and a fifty-two week high of $50.25.

International Paper (NYSE:IP) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 28th. The basic materials company reported $0.37 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.29 by $0.08. The business had revenue of $6.20 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.28 billion. International Paper had a positive return on equity of 1.77% and a negative net margin of 14.32%. The company’s quarterly revenue was down .4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted ($0.43) EPS. As a group, research analysts predict that International Paper Company will post 1.26 earnings per share for the current year.

International Paper Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 16th will be given a dividend of $0.4625 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, November 16th. This represents a $1.85 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.1%. International Paper’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently -28.37%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

IP has been the topic of several research reports. UBS Group decreased their target price on International Paper from $47.00 to $35.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, October 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on shares of International Paper from $62.00 to $51.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday. Truist Financial restated a “buy” rating and set a $39.00 price target (down from $41.00) on shares of International Paper in a research report on Thursday. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on shares of International Paper from $46.00 to $42.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, October 7th. Finally, Argus reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $45.00 price target on shares of International Paper in a report on Thursday, September 24th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $45.90.

Key Headlines Impacting International Paper

Here are the key news stories impacting International Paper this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Analysts see potential for a turnaround. RBC said International Paper may be “turning the corner,” reflecting stronger North American packaging results and improving operating performance. RBC commentary on International Paper
• Positive Sentiment: North American profit guidance is encouraging. International Paper reported North American segment operating profit of $427 million, up from $204 million in the second quarter, and forecast fourth-quarter profit of $460 million to $500 million. Full-year guidance is $1.3 billion to $1.4 billion. International Paper third-quarter results
• Positive Sentiment: Adjusted earnings exceeded expectations. Third-quarter adjusted EPS was $0.37, above the $0.29 analyst consensus, supported by the rebound in North American operations.
• Neutral Sentiment: JPMorgan remains constructive despite lowering its target. JPMorgan reduced its price target from $62 to $51 but maintained an “overweight” rating, implying substantial upside from recent trading levels.
• Neutral Sentiment: Truist also lowered its target. Truist Securities cut its International Paper price target to $39, signaling more cautious expectations even as the target remains above the recent share price. Truist price-target update
• Negative Sentiment: Revenue and volumes disappointed. Third-quarter sales of $6.20 billion fell short of the $6.28 billion consensus and declined slightly year over year. Lower volumes and weakness in the EMEA business weighed on results.
• Negative Sentiment: A large noncash impairment produced a significant reported loss. International Paper posted a $1.13 billion net loss, including a $1.38 billion goodwill impairment tied to Packaging Solutions EMEA. Free cash flow was also negative $267 million, raising concerns about near-term financial flexibility.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, VP William Hamic sold 24,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $41.20, for a total value of $1,009,400.00. Following the sale, the vice president directly owned 106,952 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,406,422.40. The trade was a 18.64% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CAO Holly G. Goughnour sold 3,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 4th. The stock was 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 owned 34,248 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,437,046.08. This represents a 9.27% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 0.21% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

International Paper Company Profile

International Paper (NYSE: IP) is a global producer of sustainable packaging, pulp and paper products. Its offerings include corrugated packaging and containerboard used to protect and transport goods, as well as absorbent cellulose fibers and other fiber-based materials used in personal care, healthcare, foodservice and industrial applications.

The company serves customers across North America and Europe, with products sold to manufacturers, retailers, consumer-goods companies and other commercial customers.