bLong Financial LLC Acquires New Position in International Paper (NYSE:IP)

bLong Financial LLC acquired a new stake in shares of International Paper (NYSE:IP) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor acquired 5,865 shares of the basic materials company’s stock, valued at approximately $316,000.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Aveo Capital Partners LLC purchased a new stake in International Paper during the 4th quarter valued at about $209,000. Asset Planning Inc purchased a new stake in shares of International Paper in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $63,000. V Square Quantitative Management LLC grew its stake in shares of International Paper by 14.1% in the 4th quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 20,753 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $1,117,000 after buying an additional 2,559 shares during the period. Palacios Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of International Paper in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $271,000. Finally, Asset Management One Co. Ltd. grew its stake in shares of International Paper by 0.6% in the 4th quarter. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. now owns 122,519 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $6,676,000 after buying an additional 772 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.95% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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

International Paper Stock Performance

NYSE:IP opened at $56.25 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a quick ratio of 1.08 and a current ratio of 1.49. The stock has a market capitalization of $19.54 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.83 and a beta of 1.02. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $55.45 and a 200 day moving average price of $52.26. International Paper has a fifty-two week low of $33.16 and a fifty-two week high of $60.36.

International Paper (NYSE:IP) last released its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The basic materials company reported ($0.02) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates 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 year.

International Paper Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 24th will be issued a dividend of $0.4625 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, February 24th. This represents a $1.85 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.29%. International Paper’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 117.84%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other International Paper news, Director Kathryn D. Sullivan sold 600 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, November 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $58.39, for a total transaction of $35,034.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 37,145 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,168,896.55. This trade represents a 1.59 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 0.55% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.