LifeWealth Investments LLC Takes Position in International Paper (NYSE:IP)

LifeWealth Investments LLC bought a new stake in International Paper (NYSE:IP) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor bought 8,036 shares of the basic materials company’s stock, valued at approximately $432,000.

A number of other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of IP. Barclays PLC lifted its holdings in shares of International Paper by 4.5% in the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 916,599 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $44,774,000 after purchasing an additional 39,404 shares in the last quarter. CX Institutional acquired a new stake in International Paper during the fourth quarter valued at $212,000. Fifth Third Bancorp boosted its position in International Paper by 16.1% during the fourth quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 19,376 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $1,043,000 after purchasing an additional 2,686 shares during the last quarter. AlphaMark Advisors LLC grew its stake in International Paper by 5.7% in the fourth quarter. AlphaMark Advisors LLC now owns 3,814 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $205,000 after purchasing an additional 204 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. grew its stake in International Paper by 18.6% in the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 6,488 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $349,000 after purchasing an additional 1,017 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.95% of the company’s stock.

International Paper Trading Down 2.0%

International Paper stock opened at $47.68 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a current ratio of 1.49 and a quick ratio of 1.08. The company has a market capitalization of $25.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.37, a PEG ratio of 0.39 and a beta of 1.03. International Paper has a one year low of $41.50 and a one year high of $60.36. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $48.51 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $53.13.

International Paper (NYSE:IP) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, April 30th. The basic materials company reported $0.23 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.35 by ($0.12). The business had revenue of $5.90 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.38 billion. International Paper had a return on equity of 4.75% and a net margin of 2.99%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 27.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.17 earnings per share. On average, analysts forecast that International Paper will post 2.77 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

International Paper Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 13th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 23rd will be issued a dividend of $0.4625 per share. This represents a $1.85 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.88%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 23rd. International Paper’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 158.12%.

Insider Buying and Selling at International Paper

In other International Paper news, CAO Holly G. Goughnour sold 7,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $44.85, for a total transaction of $336,375.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 31,525 shares in the company, valued at $1,413,896.25. This represents a 19.22% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.35% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have commented on IP shares. Bank of America started coverage on International Paper in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. They issued a “neutral” rating on the stock. Wall Street Zen downgraded International Paper from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Monday, May 5th. 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. Wells Fargo & Company restated an “underweight” rating and issued a $40.00 target price (down previously from $45.00) on shares of International Paper in a research note on Friday, May 9th. Finally, Citigroup started coverage on International Paper in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $60.00 target price on the stock. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating, five have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $53.86.

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.