Royal Bank of Canada Sells 415,043 Shares of International Paper Company $IP

Royal Bank of Canada cut its holdings in International Paper Company (NYSE:IP) by 21.6% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,510,725 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 415,043 shares during the quarter. Royal Bank of Canada’s holdings in International Paper were worth $53,933,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. MCF Advisors LLC raised its stake in International Paper by 36.7% during the fourth quarter. MCF Advisors LLC now owns 853 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 229 shares in the last quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC boosted its stake in shares of International Paper by 4.2% in the 4th quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC now owns 5,993 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $236,000 after purchasing an additional 242 shares in the last quarter. Independent Advisor Alliance boosted its stake in shares of International Paper by 3.3% in the 4th quarter. Independent Advisor Alliance now owns 7,750 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $305,000 after purchasing an additional 244 shares in the last quarter. Horizon Investments LLC grew its holdings in shares of International Paper by 3.3% during the 4th quarter. Horizon Investments LLC now owns 8,456 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $333,000 after purchasing an additional 267 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Stephens Inc. AR grew its holdings in shares of International Paper by 1.3% during the 1st quarter. Stephens Inc. AR now owns 23,032 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $853,000 after purchasing an additional 298 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 81.95% of the company’s stock.

International Paper Stock Performance

International Paper stock opened at $41.03 on Friday. The business has a 50 day moving average of $36.88 and a 200-day moving average of $38.04. The company has a market capitalization of $21.73 billion, a P/E ratio of -6.29 and a beta of 0.94. International Paper Company has a 1 year low of $29.26 and a 1 year high of $52.28. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57, a current ratio of 1.10 and a quick ratio of 0.94.

International Paper (NYSE:IP) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The basic materials company reported $0.04 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.04) by $0.08. International Paper had a negative net margin of 14.20% and a negative return on equity of 1.09%. The business had revenue of $6 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.19 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.20 EPS. The firm’s revenue was down 11.3% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts predict that International Paper Company will post 1.38 earnings per share for the current year.

International Paper Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 14th will be paid a dividend of $0.4625 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 14th. This represents a $1.85 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.5%. International Paper’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently -29.09%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts recently commented on the stock. Citigroup increased their price objective on shares of International Paper from $43.00 to $48.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday. Truist Financial reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $49.00 target price (up from $46.00) on shares of International Paper in a research note on Friday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded shares of International Paper from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and upped their price target for the stock from $51.00 to $61.00 in a report on Tuesday, July 28th. UBS Group increased their price target on International Paper from $40.00 to $47.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday. Finally, Seaport Research Partners raised International Paper from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $39.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Friday, May 1st. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $48.75.

Key Stories Impacting International Paper

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

• Positive Sentiment: Citigroup raised its price target to $48 and assigned a Buy rating, implying approximately 17% potential upside based on the referenced price. The call suggests confidence in containerboard pricing and International Paper’s longer-term recovery prospects. Benzinga analyst price target report
• Positive Sentiment: Second-quarter adjusted EPS was $0.04, beating the consensus estimate of a $0.04 loss. Recent insider activity also showed five open-market purchases and no sales over the past six months, including purchases by the CEO and other executives. These factors may provide some support for investor confidence. International Paper second-quarter results
• Neutral Sentiment: JPMorgan upgraded International Paper’s stock rating, while other recent analyst targets have been mixed. Institutional positioning was also divided, with some large investors adding shares and others making substantial reductions. JPMorgan International Paper rating update
• Negative Sentiment: Revenue totaled $6.00 billion, below roughly $6.2 billion in expectations and down 11.3% year over year. The company reported a $12 million loss from continuing operations, negative free cash flow of $7 million, and reduced profitability expectations. Management projected full-year adjusted EBITDA of $3.20 billion to $3.40 billion and warned that a temporary Pine Hill, Alabama, mill closure will reduce third-quarter EBITDA by about $85 million. Higher maintenance, input and freight costs are adding further pressure. Zacks International Paper earnings analysis
• Negative Sentiment: Analysts cut estimates for second- and third-quarter EPS, reinforcing concerns that maintenance outages, macroeconomic headwinds and weaker profitability could outweigh the quarterly earnings beat. International Paper EPS forecast revision

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.