International Paper Company (NYSE:IP) Given Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

Shares of International Paper Company (NYSE:IP) have earned a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the fourteen analysts that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 1-year price objective among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $46.3615.

IP has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft started coverage on International Paper in a research note on Wednesday, April 1st. They set a “hold” rating and a $38.00 price objective on the stock. Citigroup increased their target price on International Paper from $36.00 to $43.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 9th. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their target price on International Paper from $45.00 to $48.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, July 17th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised International Paper from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and boosted their price target for the stock from $51.00 to $61.00 in a research report on Tuesday. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d)” rating on shares of International Paper in a report on Friday, July 24th.

International Paper Stock Down 3.4%

IP opened at $42.59 on Thursday. International Paper has a 12 month low of $29.26 and a 12 month high of $54.63. The business has a 50-day moving average of $36.44 and a two-hundred day moving average of $38.02. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $22.55 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -6.70 and a beta of 0.94.

International Paper (NYSE:IP) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The basic materials company reported $0.15 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.18 by ($0.03). The firm had revenue of $5.97 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.02 billion. International Paper had a negative net margin of 13.42% and a negative return on equity of 0.49%. International Paper’s revenue was up 13.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.17 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that International Paper will post 1.4 earnings per share for the current year.

International Paper Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 14th will be issued a dividend of $0.4625 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 14th. This represents a $1.85 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.3%. International Paper’s payout ratio is currently -29.09%.

Insider Activity at International Paper

In related news, Director Scott Tozier purchased 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 1st. The stock was acquired at an average price of $31.30 per share, with a total value of $313,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 10,025 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $313,782.50. This represents a 40,000.00% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.21% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of International Paper

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of International Paper by 0.5% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 64,357,913 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $2,535,058,000 after purchasing an additional 310,834 shares during the last quarter. Capital International Investors increased its stake in shares of International Paper by 29.4% in the fourth quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 63,413,335 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $2,498,013,000 after purchasing an additional 14,422,616 shares during the period. Capital Research Global Investors raised its stake in International Paper by 0.4% during the 4th quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 54,535,444 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $2,148,154,000 after acquiring an additional 204,654 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp raised its stake in shares of International Paper by 1.3% during the fourth quarter. State Street Corp now owns 30,009,733 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $1,182,083,000 after purchasing an additional 397,673 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. raised its holdings in International Paper by 81.6% during the fourth quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 14,832,952 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $584,270,000 after purchasing an additional 6,663,986 shares in the last quarter. 81.95% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

More International Paper News

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

• Positive Sentiment: JPMorgan upgraded IP to Overweight and raised its price target to $61 from $51, citing an improving U.S. linerboard pricing cycle. The new target implies substantial upside from recent trading levels. International Paper raised at JP Morgan on improving US linerboard pricing cycle
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks Research raised its FY2026 EPS estimate to $1.34 from $1.32, its Q4 2026 estimate to $0.75 from $0.69, its Q1 2027 estimate to $0.58 from $0.56, and its FY2028 forecast to $3.35 from $3.25. These increases suggest longer-term earnings improvement potential.
• Neutral Sentiment: International Paper is scheduled to report earnings tomorrow. The report could provide important evidence on pricing, demand, margins and the company’s outlook. International Paper reports earnings tomorrow: What to expect
• Neutral Sentiment: Zacks maintained a “Hold” rating. Its earnings revisions were mixed, with some longer-term upgrades offset by changes to individual quarterly forecasts.
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks cut its Q2 2026 EPS forecast to a loss of $0.04 from a loss of $0.02 and reduced its Q3 2026 estimate to $0.48 from $0.51. The lowered near-term forecasts could weigh on sentiment before the earnings release.
• Negative Sentiment: Put-option volume surged to 16,246 contracts, about 341% above average. While options activity does not guarantee a decline, it signals increased hedging or bearish speculation around IP.

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.