Stephens Inc. AR Lowers Holdings in International Paper (NYSE:IP)

Stephens Inc. AR decreased its position in shares of International Paper (NYSE:IP) by 1.6% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 45,534 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 748 shares during the quarter. Stephens Inc. AR’s holdings in International Paper were worth $2,451,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. First Horizon Advisors Inc. grew its holdings in shares of International Paper by 5.7% in the third quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 3,282 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $160,000 after purchasing an additional 177 shares in the last quarter. AlphaMark Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of International Paper by 5.7% during the 4th quarter. AlphaMark Advisors LLC now owns 3,814 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $205,000 after buying an additional 204 shares in the last quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB lifted its holdings in shares of International Paper by 14.7% in the 4th quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 1,601 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $86,000 after acquiring an additional 205 shares during the last quarter. Empirical Finance LLC grew its position in International Paper by 1.9% in the third quarter. Empirical Finance LLC now owns 12,270 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $599,000 after acquiring an additional 224 shares in the last quarter. Finally, OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of International Paper by 5.7% in the 3rd quarter. OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC now owns 5,824 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $284,000 after purchasing an additional 314 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 81.95% of the company’s stock.

International Paper Stock Up 1.7 %

International Paper stock opened at $55.76 on Wednesday. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $55.61 and a 200-day moving average price of $52.09. International Paper has a 1-year low of $33.16 and a 1-year high of $60.36. The stock has a market capitalization of $19.37 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.52 and a beta of 1.02. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a current ratio of 1.49 and a quick ratio of 1.08.

International Paper (NYSE:IP) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The basic materials company reported ($0.02) EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.03 by ($0.05). International Paper had a return on equity of 4.75% and a net margin of 2.99%. Equities research analysts forecast that International Paper will post 2.89 EPS for the current fiscal year.

International Paper Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 24th will be issued a dividend of $0.4625 per share. This represents a $1.85 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.32%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, February 24th. International Paper’s dividend payout ratio is currently 117.83%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on IP. Truist Financial reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $64.00 target price (down previously from $65.00) on shares of International Paper in a research note on Friday, January 31st. BNP Paribas cut International Paper from a “neutral” rating to an “underperform” rating and set a $48.20 price objective for the company. in a report on Wednesday, November 13th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $64.00 price objective on shares of International Paper in a research report on Friday, January 31st. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $51.88.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Kathryn D. Sullivan sold 600 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $56.19, for a total transaction of $33,714.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 37,745 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,120,891.55. This represents a 1.56 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.55% of the company’s stock.

International Paper 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.