Brokerages Set International Paper (NYSE:IP) Target Price at $37.13

Shares of International Paper (NYSE:IP) have earned a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the eight brokerages that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and four have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month target price among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $37.13.

IP has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $43.00 price objective on shares of International Paper in a report on Friday, February 2nd. StockNews.com lowered shares of International Paper from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Sunday, January 14th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on shares of International Paper from $39.00 to $35.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 2nd. Argus cut shares of International Paper from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, February 26th. Finally, Bank of America raised shares of International Paper from an “underperform” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their price objective for the company from $37.00 to $42.00 in a research report on Monday, March 4th.

International Paper Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:IP opened at $33.52 on Friday. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $36.68 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $35.81. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65, a quick ratio of 1.19 and a current ratio of 1.67. The firm has a market cap of $11.64 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.88 and a beta of 0.99. International Paper has a fifty-two week low of $29.00 and a fifty-two week high of $41.28.

International Paper (NYSE:IP) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 1st. The basic materials company reported $0.41 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.34 by $0.07. The company had revenue of $4.60 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.67 billion. International Paper had a net margin of 1.52% and a return on equity of 8.87%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 10.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.87 earnings per share. On average, analysts expect that International Paper will post 1.91 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, SVP James P. Jr. Royalty sold 5,800 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $34.75, for a total transaction of $201,550.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 69,488 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,414,708. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Insiders sold a total of 8,800 shares of company stock worth $310,438 over the last three months. 0.55% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On International Paper

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in IP. MCF Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of International Paper by 1,094.7% during the first quarter. MCF Advisors LLC now owns 681 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 624 shares during the period. Jones Financial Companies Lllp increased its holdings in International Paper by 208.3% during the 4th quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 703 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 475 shares during the period. Manchester Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in International Paper during the 3rd quarter valued at $25,000. CVA Family Office LLC purchased a new stake in shares of International Paper in the 4th quarter worth $27,000. Finally, Venturi Wealth Management LLC grew its position in shares of International Paper by 2,281.8% during the 3rd quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 786 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 753 shares in the last quarter. 81.95% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.