Investors Purchase Large Volume of Call Options on International Paper (NYSE:IP)

International Paper (NYSE:IP) was the target of some unusual options trading activity on Thursday. Investors bought 22,683 call options on the company. This is an increase of 509% compared to the typical volume of 3,723 call options.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

Insider Buying and Selling at International Paper

In related news, Director Kathryn D. Sullivan sold 600 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $56.19, for a total transaction of $33,714.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 37,745 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,120,891.55. The trade was a 1.56 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 0.55% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in IP. Lord Abbett & CO. LLC bought a new position in International Paper during the third quarter valued at $24,327,000. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC grew its holdings in International Paper by 15.1% during the 3rd quarter. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC now owns 5,972 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $292,000 after purchasing an additional 785 shares during the last quarter. Wedmont Private Capital bought a new position in International Paper during the 4th quarter valued at about $376,000. Curi RMB Capital LLC purchased a new stake in International Paper in the 3rd quarter worth about $4,870,000. Finally, Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. lifted its stake in International Paper by 5.5% in the third quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. now owns 937,324 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $45,788,000 after purchasing an additional 49,125 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 81.95% of the company’s stock.

International Paper Price Performance

International Paper stock traded down $0.84 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $57.14. 7,345,428 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 5,413,601. 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 has a 12 month low of $32.70 and a 12 month high of $60.36. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $56.17 and its 200-day moving average is $51.51. The stock has a market cap of $19.85 billion, a P/E ratio of 48.84 and a beta of 1.03.

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 analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.03 by ($0.05). International Paper had a net margin of 2.25% and a return on equity of 6.49%. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that International Paper will post 1.18 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. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 24th will be issued a $0.4625 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, February 24th. This represents a $1.85 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.24%. International Paper’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 158.12%.

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.