International Paper Company $IP Shares Acquired by Aperture Investors LLC

Aperture Investors LLC increased its holdings in shares of International Paper Company (NYSE:IP) by 191.4% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 106,463 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after purchasing an additional 69,925 shares during the quarter. Aperture Investors LLC’s holdings in International Paper were worth $4,986,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Bank of New York Mellon Corp grew its holdings in International Paper by 9.3% during the 2nd 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 acquiring an additional 1,592,411 shares in the last quarter. Westfield Capital Management Co. LP grew its stake in International Paper by 9.7% in the second quarter. Westfield Capital Management Co. LP now owns 2,323,693 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $108,819,000 after purchasing an additional 205,888 shares in the last quarter. Consolidated Planning Corp bought a new stake in International Paper in the second quarter valued at about $317,000. Whalen Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new stake in International Paper during the second quarter valued at approximately $604,000. Finally, Norges Bank bought a new position in International Paper during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $281,735,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.95% of the company’s stock.

International Paper Stock Performance

IP stock opened at $37.54 on Wednesday. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $41.71 and a 200 day simple moving average of $46.01. The company has a market capitalization of $19.82 billion, a P/E ratio of -14.38, a PEG ratio of 1.21 and a beta of 1.09. The company has a quick ratio of 1.04, a current ratio of 1.31 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52. International Paper Company has a fifty-two week low of $35.56 and a fifty-two week high of $60.15.

International Paper (NYSE:IP) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 30th. The basic materials company reported ($0.43) EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.53 by ($0.96). The company had revenue of $6.22 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.76 billion. International Paper had a negative return on equity of 0.16% and a negative net margin of 5.45%.The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 56.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.33 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts predict that International Paper Company will post 2.77 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

International Paper Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 16th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 14th will be given a $0.4625 dividend. This represents a $1.85 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.9%. International Paper’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is -70.88%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on IP. UBS Group lowered their price target on International Paper from $60.00 to $55.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Monday, October 6th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on shares of International Paper from $44.00 to $36.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, October 31st. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of International Paper from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Saturday, October 18th. Jefferies Financial Group dropped their price objective on shares of International Paper from $61.00 to $59.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, September 26th. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of International Paper in a research note on Monday. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have assigned a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $50.44.

Insider Transactions at International Paper

In other news, SVP Joseph R. Saab sold 9,000 shares of International Paper stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $45.53, for a total transaction of $409,770.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 27,673 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,259,951.69. This trade represents a 24.54% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders own 0.55% of the company’s stock.

International Paper Company Profile

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.