Hantz Financial Services Inc. Acquires 27,047 Shares of International Paper Company $IP

Hantz Financial Services Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of International Paper Company (NYSE:IP) by 27.9% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 123,902 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after purchasing an additional 27,047 shares during the period. Hantz Financial Services Inc.’s holdings in International Paper were worth $4,880,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in IP. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd bought a new stake in International Paper during the first quarter worth $249,000. Intech Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in International Paper by 100.5% during the first quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 32,025 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $1,709,000 after purchasing an additional 16,055 shares during the last quarter. Cresset Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in International Paper by 20.8% during the second quarter. Cresset Asset Management LLC now owns 17,345 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $812,000 after purchasing an additional 2,981 shares during the last quarter. Jump Financial LLC lifted its stake in International Paper by 280.9% during the second quarter. Jump Financial LLC now owns 38,092 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $1,784,000 after purchasing an additional 28,092 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Cerity Partners LLC lifted its stake in International Paper by 8.0% during the second quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 33,749 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $1,580,000 after purchasing an additional 2,493 shares during the last quarter. 81.95% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

IP has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. BNP Paribas Exane cut their target price on International Paper from $44.00 to $42.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, March 25th. Weiss Ratings cut International Paper from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “sell (d)” rating in a research note on Monday, April 27th. Stifel Nicolaus cut their target price on International Paper from $51.80 to $50.70 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, February 9th. Seaport Research Partners upgraded International Paper from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $39.00 price target for the company in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upgraded International Paper from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and increased their price target for the company from $38.00 to $39.00 in a research note on Monday, May 4th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $43.73.

International Paper Stock Down 0.0%

Shares of IP opened at $31.28 on Tuesday. International Paper Company has a 52 week low of $29.26 and a 52 week high of $56.13. The stock has a market capitalization of $16.56 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -4.92 and a beta of 0.93. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55, a quick ratio of 0.94 and a current ratio of 1.21. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $34.25 and a 200-day moving average of $38.65.

International Paper (NYSE:IP) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The basic materials company reported $0.15 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.18 by ($0.03). International Paper had a negative net margin of 13.42% and a negative return on equity of 0.49%. The firm had revenue of $5.97 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.02 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.17 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 13.4% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that International Paper Company will post 1.38 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

International Paper Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 12th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 22nd will be paid a $0.4625 dividend. This represents a $1.85 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.9%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 22nd. International Paper’s dividend payout ratio is presently -29.09%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Scott Tozier bought 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 1st. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $31.30 per share, with a total value of $313,000.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 10,025 shares in the company, valued at approximately $313,782.50. This trade represents a 40,000.00% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Anders Gustafsson bought 13,217 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 12th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $37.83 per share, with a total value of $499,999.11. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 26,092 shares in the company, valued at $987,060.36. The trade was a 102.66% increase in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. Insiders bought a total of 36,092 shares of company stock valued at $1,313,064 over the last quarter. 0.21% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

International Paper Profile

International Paper is a global producer of renewable fiber-based products, focused primarily on pulp, paper, and packaging. The company manufactures containerboard and corrugated packaging used for shipping and retail display, as well as a range of specialty papers and pulp products that serve industrial, consumer goods, and e-commerce customers. Its product portfolio is oriented toward large-scale packaging solutions, tissue and paper grades, and raw pulp for a variety of manufacturing uses.

Founded in 1898, International Paper is headquartered in Memphis, Tennessee, and is one of the largest and longest-established companies in the forest products sector.