Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A. Cuts Stock Position in International Paper (NYSE:IP)

Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A. decreased its position in shares of International Paper (NYSE:IP) by 2.9% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 67,993 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 2,019 shares during the period. Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A.’s holdings in International Paper were worth $3,659,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of IP. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD boosted its position in shares of International Paper by 0.8% in the 4th quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 47,596,595 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $2,561,651,000 after purchasing an additional 368,648 shares in the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in International Paper by 0.8% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 41,195,085 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $2,217,119,000 after buying an additional 340,383 shares during the last quarter. Capital Research Global Investors raised its stake in International Paper by 68.8% in the fourth quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 29,904,546 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $1,609,462,000 after buying an additional 12,191,361 shares during the last quarter. FMR LLC boosted its holdings in International Paper by 48.9% in the fourth quarter. FMR LLC now owns 26,559,812 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $1,429,449,000 after acquiring an additional 8,720,575 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of International Paper by 0.3% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 8,393,217 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $450,586,000 after acquiring an additional 24,816 shares during the last quarter. 81.95% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

IP has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Bank of America began coverage on shares of International Paper in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. They issued a “neutral” rating for the company. Citigroup initiated coverage on shares of International Paper in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. They set a “buy” rating and a $60.00 price objective for the company. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on International Paper from $52.00 to $45.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 8th. Royal Bank of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $64.00 target price on shares of International Paper in a research note on Wednesday, March 26th. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded International Paper from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, March 28th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, International Paper presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $54.77.

International Paper Price Performance

Shares of IP opened at $47.42 on Friday. The business’s 50-day moving average is $50.97 and its two-hundred day moving average is $53.57. The company has a market capitalization of $25.03 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.20, a P/E/G ratio of 0.39 and a beta of 0.99. International Paper has a fifty-two week low of $33.28 and a fifty-two week high of $60.36. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a quick ratio of 1.08 and a current ratio of 1.49.

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%. Research analysts predict that International Paper will post 2.77 earnings per share for the current year.

International Paper Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 24th were issued a dividend of $0.4625 per share. This represents a $1.85 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.90%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 24th. International Paper’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 117.83%.

About International Paper

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.