International Paper (NYSE:IP) Posts Quarterly Earnings Results, Misses Expectations By $0.05 EPS

International Paper (NYSE:IP) announced its earnings results on Thursday. The basic materials company reported ($0.02) earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.03 by ($0.05), Zacks reports. International Paper had a net margin of 2.25% and a return on equity of 6.49%.

International Paper Price Performance

Shares of IP traded up $0.95 on Friday, reaching $58.00. The stock had a trading volume of 3,216,673 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,579,976. International Paper has a twelve month low of $32.70 and a twelve month high of $60.36. The firm has a market capitalization of $20.15 billion, a PE ratio of 49.57 and a beta of 1.03. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $56.13 and a 200 day moving average of $51.54. The company has a quick ratio of 1.11, a current ratio of 1.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62.

International Paper Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 24th will be paid a $0.4625 dividend. This represents a $1.85 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.19%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, February 24th. International Paper’s dividend payout ratio is currently 158.12%.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Kathryn D. Sullivan sold 600 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 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 ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.55% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

IP has been the subject of a number of research reports. BNP Paribas downgraded International Paper from a “neutral” rating to an “underperform” rating and set a $48.20 price objective for the company. in a research report on Wednesday, November 13th. Royal Bank of Canada upped their target price on shares of International Paper from $56.00 to $64.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, November 1st. Finally, Truist Financial lifted their target price on shares of International Paper from $61.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, January 6th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, International Paper presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $51.99.

International Paper Company 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.