International Paper Company Declares Quarterly Dividend of $0.46 (NYSE:IP)

International Paper Company (NYSE:IP) declared a quarterly dividend on Tuesday, July 14th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 14th will be given a dividend of 0.4625 per share by the basic materials company on Tuesday, September 15th. This represents a c) dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 14th.

International Paper has decreased its dividend by an average of 0.0%annually over the last three years. International Paper has a dividend payout ratio of 54.7% meaning its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Analysts expect International Paper to earn $2.69 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $1.85 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 68.8%.

International Paper Stock Performance

IP opened at $36.51 on Wednesday. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $34.79 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $38.08. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55, a current ratio of 1.21 and a quick ratio of 0.94. The firm has a market cap of $19.33 billion, a P/E ratio of -5.74 and a beta of 0.94. International Paper has a 1-year low of $29.26 and a 1-year high of $56.13.

International Paper (NYSE:IP) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The basic materials company reported $0.15 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.18 by ($0.03). International Paper had a negative net margin of 13.42% and a negative return on equity of 0.49%. The firm had revenue of $5.97 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.02 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.17 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 13.4% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts forecast that International Paper will post 1.38 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

IP has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Citigroup increased their price target on International Paper from $36.00 to $43.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 9th. Weiss Ratings lowered International Paper from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “sell (d)” rating in a research note on Monday, April 27th. Zacks Research upgraded International Paper from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday. BNP Paribas Exane decreased their target price on International Paper from $44.00 to $42.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, March 25th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada lowered their price target on International Paper from $48.00 to $45.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, May 1st. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, International Paper currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $43.89.

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.