International Paper (NYSE:IP) Cut to Sell at Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen cut shares of International Paper (NYSE:IP) from a hold rating to a sell rating in a report published on Saturday morning,Wall Street Zen reports.

A number of other brokerages also recently weighed in on IP. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of International Paper from $61.00 to $62.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 23rd. Bank of America upgraded shares of International Paper from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $46.00 price target on the stock in a report on Friday, September 11th. Citigroup decreased their price objective on shares of International Paper from $48.00 to $47.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of International Paper from a “sell (d)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a research report on Friday, August 21st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on shares of International Paper from $42.00 to $46.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, July 31st. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $47.82.

International Paper Trading Up 0.3%

Shares of NYSE:IP opened at $32.08 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.84, a current ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $37.99 and its 200 day moving average price is $36.20. The company has a market cap of $16.99 billion, a PE ratio of -4.92, a P/E/G ratio of 4.07 and a beta of 0.93. International Paper has a fifty-two week low of $29.26 and a fifty-two week high of $50.25.

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 firm had revenue of $6 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.19 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.20 EPS. International Paper’s quarterly revenue was down 11.3% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts anticipate that International Paper will post 1.31 earnings per share for the current year.

International Paper Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 14th were issued a dividend of $0.4625 per share. This represents a $1.85 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.8%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 14th. International Paper’s payout ratio is currently -28.37%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, VP William Hamic sold 24,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, August 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $41.20, for a total transaction of $1,009,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president directly owned 106,952 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,406,422.40. This trade represents a 18.64% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CAO Holly G. Goughnour sold 3,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $41.96, for a total value of $146,860.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 34,248 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,437,046.08. The trade was a 9.27% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Corporate insiders own 0.21% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of International Paper

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in IP. MCF Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of International Paper by 36.7% during the 4th 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. Stephens Inc. AR boosted its stake in International Paper by 1.3% in the first quarter. Stephens Inc. AR now owns 23,032 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $853,000 after acquiring an additional 298 shares in the last quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. grew its holdings in International Paper by 2.3% in the fourth quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. now owns 13,274 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $523,000 after purchasing an additional 302 shares during the last quarter. Ranch Capital Advisors Inc. increased its position in shares of International Paper by 0.8% during the first quarter. Ranch Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 45,785 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $1,635,000 after purchasing an additional 364 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Krilogy Financial LLC increased its position in shares of International Paper by 5.8% during the first quarter. Krilogy Financial LLC now owns 8,017 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $290,000 after purchasing an additional 437 shares in the last quarter. 81.95% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About International Paper

International Paper (NYSE: IP) is a global producer of sustainable packaging, pulp and paper products. The company manufactures corrugated packaging, containerboard and other fiber-based packaging solutions used to protect, transport and display goods, along with market pulp and specialty paper products.

Founded in 1898, International Paper has developed operations serving customers across North America and Europe. Its activities also include recycling and the recovery of fiber used in paper and packaging production, supporting the company’s focus on renewable and recyclable materials.

International Paper completed its combination with DS Smith in 2025, expanding its geographic reach and packaging capabilities.