International Paper Company (NYSE:IP) Given Consensus Rating of “Hold” by Analysts

Shares of International Paper Company (NYSE:IP) have earned an average recommendation of “Hold” from the thirteen ratings firms that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, one has assigned a hold recommendation and nine have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month price target among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $49.0727.

A number of research firms have commented on IP. Wall Street Zen cut International Paper from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Saturday, October 18th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of International Paper in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Stifel Nicolaus set a $57.80 price target on International Paper and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, October 17th. Citigroup cut their price objective on shares of International Paper from $55.00 to $46.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Monday, November 3rd. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada set a $55.00 price objective on shares of International Paper and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 18th.

International Paper Stock Performance

IP opened at $41.44 on Thursday. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $40.11 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $44.20. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52, a current ratio of 1.31 and a quick ratio of 1.04. The firm has a market cap of $21.88 billion, a P/E ratio of -15.88, a PEG ratio of 0.49 and a beta of 1.10. International Paper has a 1-year low of $35.56 and a 1-year high of $58.97.

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

Insider Transactions at International Paper

In other International Paper news, SVP Clay R. Ellis sold 18,819 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $36.85, for a total value of $693,480.15. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.55% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Bank of New York Mellon Corp lifted its holdings in shares of 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 valued at $877,496,000 after purchasing an additional 1,592,411 shares during the last quarter. Westfield Capital Management Co. LP raised 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 valued at $108,819,000 after buying an additional 205,888 shares during the last quarter. Consolidated Planning Corp acquired a new stake in International Paper in the second quarter worth about $317,000. Whalen Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of International Paper during the second quarter worth about $604,000. Finally, Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of International Paper during the second quarter valued at about $281,735,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.95% of the company’s stock.

International Paper Company Profile

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.