Zacks Research Issues Pessimistic Forecast for IP Earnings

International Paper Company (NYSE:IP) – Stock analysts at Zacks Research cut their Q4 2025 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for shares of International Paper in a research report issued to clients and investors on Thursday, August 14th. Zacks Research analyst Team now forecasts that the basic materials company will post earnings of $0.60 per share for the quarter, down from their previous forecast of $0.70. The consensus estimate for International Paper’s current full-year earnings is $2.77 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for International Paper’s Q1 2026 earnings at $0.54 EPS, Q2 2026 earnings at $0.78 EPS, Q3 2026 earnings at $0.87 EPS, Q4 2026 earnings at $0.97 EPS and Q2 2027 earnings at $1.07 EPS.

A number of other equities analysts have also recently commented on the company. UBS Group started coverage on International Paper in a report on Wednesday, June 4th. They set a “buy” rating and a $60.00 price target for the company. Truist Financial set a $59.00 price target on International Paper in a report on Wednesday, May 28th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut International Paper from an “overweight” rating to a “neutral” rating and lowered their price target for the stock from $55.00 to $54.00 in a report on Tuesday, August 5th. Wall Street Zen raised International Paper from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, June 27th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reissued an “underweight” rating and set a $43.00 price target (up previously from $40.00) on shares of International Paper in a report on Thursday, July 10th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $55.46.

International Paper Stock Performance

NYSE:IP opened at $46.64 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52, a quick ratio of 0.96 and a current ratio of 1.33. International Paper has a fifty-two week low of $43.27 and a fifty-two week high of $60.36. The company has a market cap of $24.62 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -466.40, a PEG ratio of 0.58 and a beta of 1.04. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $49.16 and a 200-day moving average price of $49.98.

International Paper (NYSE:IP) last released its earnings results on Thursday, July 31st. The basic materials company reported $0.20 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.38 by ($0.18). The company had revenue of $6.77 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.64 billion. International Paper had a negative net margin of 0.12% and a positive return on equity of 2.63%. The business’s revenue was up 42.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.55 earnings per share.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On International Paper

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in shares of International Paper by 2.0% in the 2nd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 63,879,190 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $2,991,462,000 after buying an additional 1,255,650 shares during the last quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD grew its stake in International Paper by 8.8% during the first quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 51,798,017 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $2,763,426,000 after purchasing an additional 4,201,422 shares during the period. State Street Corp grew its stake in International Paper by 3.2% during the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 29,386,616 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $1,376,175,000 after purchasing an additional 902,741 shares during the period. Bank of New York Mellon Corp grew its stake in International Paper by 9.3% during the second quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 18,737,896 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $877,496,000 after purchasing an additional 1,592,411 shares during the period. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC grew its stake in International Paper by 2.3% during the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 13,340,382 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $622,133,000 after purchasing an additional 294,296 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 81.95% of the company’s stock.

International Paper Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 16th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 15th will be given a $0.4625 dividend. This represents a $1.85 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.0%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 15th. International Paper’s payout ratio is -1,850.00%.

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.