Traders Buy Large Volume of Put Options on International Paper (NYSE:IP)

International Paper Company (NYSE:IP) was the recipient of unusually large options trading activity on Tuesday. Traders acquired 16,246 put options on the stock. This represents an increase of 341% compared to the typical daily volume of 3,687 put options.

International Paper Stock Up 4.5%

Shares of NYSE:IP traded up $1.92 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $44.33. 2,659,018 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 6,776,680. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $35.92 and a 200 day simple moving average of $37.98. The company has a quick ratio of 0.94, a current ratio of 1.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55. International Paper has a 1-year low of $29.26 and a 1-year high of $56.13. The firm has a market cap of $23.47 billion, a P/E ratio of -6.97 and a beta of 0.94.

International Paper (NYSE:IP) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The basic materials company reported $0.15 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.18 by ($0.03). International Paper had a negative return on equity of 0.49% and a negative net margin of 13.42%.The company had revenue of $5.97 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.02 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.17 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 13.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts anticipate that International Paper will post 1.39 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

International Paper Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 14th will be paid a $0.4625 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 14th. This represents a $1.85 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.2%. International Paper’s payout ratio is -29.09%.

Insider Transactions at International Paper

In other news, Director Scott Tozier bought 10,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, May 1st. The shares were bought at an average cost of $31.30 per share, with a total value of $313,000.00. Following the purchase, the director directly owned 10,025 shares in the company, valued at $313,782.50. This trade represents a 40,000.00% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.21% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On International Paper

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Capital International Investors lifted its holdings in shares of International Paper by 29.4% during the 4th quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 63,413,335 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $2,498,013,000 after buying an additional 14,422,616 shares during the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. increased its holdings in International Paper by 81.6% in the fourth quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 14,832,952 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $584,270,000 after buying an additional 6,663,986 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new position in International Paper in the fourth quarter worth approximately $250,093,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp raised its position in International Paper by 66.2% during the first quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 13,601,299 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $485,566,000 after acquiring an additional 5,417,274 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Atlas FRM LLC raised its position in International Paper by 56.2% during the fourth quarter. Atlas FRM LLC now owns 5,000,000 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $196,950,000 after acquiring an additional 1,800,000 shares in the last quarter. 81.95% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

International Paper News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: JPMorgan upgrade: JPMorgan raised International Paper from “neutral” to “overweight” and increased its price target from $51 to $61. The new target implies approximately 36.9% upside from the recently cited share price, signaling greater confidence in the company’s outlook and potential for share-price appreciation. Benzinga report
• Positive Sentiment: Some earnings estimates improved: Zacks Research raised its FY2026 EPS forecast to $1.34 from $1.32, its Q4 2026 estimate to $0.75 from $0.69, and its Q1 2027 estimate to $0.58 from $0.56. These revisions suggest modestly better expectations for near-term profitability. Zacks estimate report
• Neutral Sentiment: Management conference appearance: CEO Andy Silvernail is scheduled to speak at the Jefferies 2026 Industrials Conference on September 10. The event could provide updates on strategy and operating conditions, but no new financial information was announced. International Paper conference announcement
• Negative Sentiment: Other estimates were reduced: Zacks lowered its Q3 2026 EPS forecast to $0.48 from $0.51, Q2 2027 to $0.66 from $0.67, and Q3 2027 to $0.71 from $0.72. Zacks maintains a “Hold” rating, tempering the impact of the more favorable revisions.
• Negative Sentiment: Q2 earnings outlook remains weak: International Paper is expected to report lower revenue and a projected loss, as maintenance costs and pricing changes pressure results. This could limit the stock’s upside unless the company delivers better-than-expected results or guidance. International Paper Q2 earnings preview

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on IP. UBS Group lowered their price target on International Paper from $40.00 to $32.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, May 4th. Zacks Research raised International Paper from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, July 13th. Loop Capital set a $61.00 price objective on International Paper in a research report on Tuesday. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their target price on International Paper from $45.00 to $48.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, July 17th. Finally, Truist Financial upped their target price on International Paper from $40.00 to $46.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 15th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $46.36.

About International Paper

International Paper is a global producer of renewable fiber-based products, focused primarily on pulp, paper, and packaging. The company manufactures containerboard and corrugated packaging used for shipping and retail display, as well as a range of specialty papers and pulp products that serve industrial, consumer goods, and e-commerce customers. Its product portfolio is oriented toward large-scale packaging solutions, tissue and paper grades, and raw pulp for a variety of manufacturing uses.

Founded in 1898, International Paper is headquartered in Memphis, Tennessee, and is one of the largest and longest-established companies in the forest products sector.