International Paper Company (NYSE:IP) Stock Has Average Price Target of $45.44 According to Brokerages

International Paper Company (NYSE:IP) has been assigned a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the fourteen analysts that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, three have assigned a hold recommendation and ten have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month price target among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $45.44.

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their target price on International Paper from $48.00 to $52.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, July 31st. Bank of America reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of International Paper in a research report on Thursday. Citigroup dropped their price target on International Paper from $47.00 to $41.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on International Paper from $62.00 to $51.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, October 29th. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded International Paper from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, July 13th.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other International Paper news, VP William Hamic sold 24,500 shares of International Paper stock in a transaction dated 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 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 ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.21% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On International Paper

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Stephens Inc. AR boosted its stake in International Paper by 1.3% in the 1st quarter. Stephens Inc. AR now owns 23,032 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $853,000 after purchasing an additional 298 shares during the period. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. grew its holdings in International Paper by 2.3% during the 4th quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. now owns 13,274 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $523,000 after buying an additional 302 shares in the last quarter. Ranch Capital Advisors Inc. raised its position in shares of International Paper by 0.8% during the first quarter. Ranch Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 45,785 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $1,635,000 after buying an additional 364 shares during the last quarter. Arvest Bank Trust Division raised its position in shares of International Paper by 1.2% during the first quarter. Arvest Bank Trust Division now owns 41,480 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $1,481,000 after buying an additional 509 shares during the last quarter. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC raised its position in shares of International Paper by 8.8% during the second quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 6,382 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $243,000 after buying an additional 517 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.95% of the company’s stock.

International Paper Stock Performance

Shares of IP stock opened at $36.69 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59, a current ratio of 1.01 and a quick ratio of 0.84. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $34.86 and a 200-day moving average of $37.40. International Paper has a one year low of $29.26 and a one year high of $50.25. The company has a market cap of $19.43 billion, a P/E ratio of -5.59, a P/E/G ratio of 4.56 and a beta of 0.93.

International Paper (NYSE:IP) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 28th. The basic materials company reported $0.37 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.29 by $0.08. International Paper had a negative net margin of 14.32% and a positive return on equity of 1.77%. The business had revenue of $6.20 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.28 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned ($0.43) earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down .4% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts forecast that International Paper will post 1.13 EPS for the current fiscal year.

International Paper Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 15th. Investors of record on Monday, November 16th will be issued a dividend of $0.4625 per share. This represents a $1.85 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.0%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, November 16th. International Paper’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is -28.20%.

About International Paper

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.