Key Points
- Director Scott Tozier bought 10,000 shares at an average price of $31.30 on May 1, raising his holdings to 10,025 shares and filing the purchase with the SEC, a potential insider vote of confidence.
- Q1 results missed estimates: IP reported $0.15 EPS vs. $0.18 consensus and $5.97B revenue vs. ~$6.02B, with pressured margins that prompted analysts to lower forecasts and price targets and left a MarketBeat consensus rating of "Hold" (avg PT $44.98).
- Balance-sheet actions and guidance: The company received roughly $1.1B from the sale of its Global Cellulose Fibers business, used about $660M to pay down debt, and is targeting $3.2B–$3.5B adjusted EBITDA and $300M–$500M free cash flow for 2026 to support recovery.
International Paper Company (NYSE:IP - Get Free Report) Director Scott Tozier acquired 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, May 1st. The stock was bought at an average cost 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 in the company, valued at $313,782.50. This trade represents a 40,000.00% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink.
International Paper Price Performance
Shares of IP opened at $31.85 on Friday. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $37.25 and a 200-day moving average price of $40.12. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55, a quick ratio of 1.02 and a current ratio of 1.21. International Paper Company has a fifty-two week low of $29.45 and a fifty-two week high of $56.13. The stock has a market capitalization of $16.86 billion, a PE ratio of -4.75 and a beta of 0.94.
International Paper (NYSE:IP - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The basic materials company reported $0.15 earnings per share 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 during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.02 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $0.17 earnings per share. International Paper's revenue was up 13.4% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts predict that International Paper Company will post 1.63 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.
Analysts Set New Price Targets
Several research firms recently commented on IP. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on shares of International Paper from $40.00 to $38.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, March 20th. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of International Paper from a "sell (d+)" rating to a "sell (d)" rating in a research note on Monday. Citigroup decreased their price target on shares of International Paper from $47.00 to $44.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 14th. Zacks Research cut shares of International Paper from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 23rd. Finally, UBS Group dropped their price target on shares of International Paper from $44.00 to $40.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, April 10th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, International Paper has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $44.98.
View Our Latest Report on IP
Institutional Investors Weigh In On International Paper
A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of International Paper by 0.5% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 64,357,913 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $2,535,058,000 after acquiring an additional 310,834 shares during the period. Capital International Investors raised its stake in shares of International Paper by 29.4% in the 4th quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 63,413,335 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $2,498,013,000 after acquiring an additional 14,422,616 shares during the period. Capital Research Global Investors raised its stake in shares of International Paper by 0.4% in 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 during the period. State Street Corp raised its stake in shares of International Paper by 1.3% in the 4th quarter. State Street Corp now owns 30,009,733 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $1,182,083,000 after acquiring an additional 397,673 shares during the period. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. raised its stake in shares of International Paper by 81.6% in the 4th quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 14,832,952 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $584,270,000 after acquiring an additional 6,663,986 shares during the period. 81.95% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.
International Paper News Summary
Here are the key news stories impacting International Paper this week:
- Positive Sentiment: Director Scott Tozier bought 10,000 shares at about $31.30, a direct insider purchase that can be viewed as a vote of confidence by management. SEC Form 4
- Positive Sentiment: Balance‑sheet and cash flow actions: IP received ~$1.1B net proceeds from the sale of its Global Cellulose Fibers business, used ~$660M to pay down debt, generated $611M of operating cash and reported $94M FCF for Q1 — these moves materially improve liquidity and lower leverage. Press Release
- Positive Sentiment: Management’s 2026 targets: IP is guiding to $3.2B–$3.5B of adjusted EBITDA for 2026 and is targeting $300M–$500M of free cash flow, providing a framework for recovery if cost pressures ease. SA: 2026 targets
- Neutral Sentiment: Company filed an 8‑K and held its Q1 call; the transcript and slide deck are available for investors to assess management commentary on costs and the EMEA separation. TipRanks 8‑K
- Neutral Sentiment: Unusually large options flow was observed (big increase in both call and put activity), signaling heightened short‑term speculative interest and volatility. (No single authoritative story; flagged in market activity notes.)
- Negative Sentiment: Q1 missed expectations on EPS ($0.15 vs. $0.18 consensus) and revenue ($5.97B vs. ~$6.02B), and margins were pressured — a direct near‑term negative for sentiment. Q1 results
- Negative Sentiment: Analysts cut forecasts and price targets after Q1 and guidance; JPMorgan trimmed its PT to $43 and moved to neutral, and several outlets report analysts “slashing” forecasts — these actions weigh on near‑term upside. Benzinga: analyst reactions
- Negative Sentiment: Management trimmed its 2026 adjusted EBITDA outlook vs. prior expectations and cited higher costs and macro pressures — the primary driver of the recent negative revisions in sentiment. Zacks: lowered outlook
International Paper Company Profile
(
Get Free Report)
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.
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