First Nebraska Trust Co Invests $2.65 Million in International Paper Company $IP

First Nebraska Trust Co acquired a new stake in International Paper Company (NYSE:IP) in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor acquired 74,345 shares of the basic materials company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,654,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in IP. MCF Advisors LLC boosted its position in International Paper by 36.7% during the fourth quarter. MCF Advisors LLC now owns 853 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $34,000 after buying an additional 229 shares during the period. Rothschild Investment LLC grew its stake in shares of International Paper by 4.2% during the fourth quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC now owns 5,993 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $236,000 after buying an additional 242 shares during the last quarter. Independent Advisor Alliance increased its holdings in shares of International Paper by 3.3% in the fourth quarter. Independent Advisor Alliance now owns 7,750 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $305,000 after buying an additional 244 shares during the period. Horizon Investments LLC lifted its stake in shares of International Paper by 3.3% in the 4th quarter. Horizon Investments LLC now owns 8,456 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $333,000 after acquiring an additional 267 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Stephens Inc. AR lifted its stake in shares of International Paper by 1.3% in the 1st quarter. Stephens Inc. AR now owns 23,032 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $853,000 after acquiring an additional 298 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 81.95% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

IP has been the topic of several recent research reports. Zacks Research upgraded International Paper from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, July 13th. UBS Group raised their target price on shares of International Paper from $40.00 to $47.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded shares of International Paper from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and upped their price target for the company from $51.00 to $61.00 in a report on Tuesday, July 28th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of International Paper from $42.00 to $46.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday. Finally, Bank of America downgraded shares of International Paper from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $41.00 price objective for the company. in a research note on Tuesday, July 14th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $48.75.

International Paper Trading Down 4.9%

NYSE:IP opened at $41.03 on Friday. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $36.88 and a 200-day moving average price of $38.04. The stock has a market cap of $21.73 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -6.29 and a beta of 0.94. The company has a current ratio of 1.10, a quick ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57. International Paper Company has a 12 month low of $29.26 and a 12 month high of $52.28.

International Paper (NYSE:IP) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The basic materials company reported $0.04 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.04) by $0.08. International Paper had a negative net margin of 14.20% and a negative return on equity of 1.09%. The company had revenue of $6 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.19 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.20 earnings per share. International Paper’s quarterly revenue was down 11.3% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts predict that International Paper Company will post 1.38 EPS for the current year.

International Paper Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 15th. Investors of record on Friday, August 14th will be given a dividend of $0.4625 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 14th. This represents a $1.85 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.5%. International Paper’s payout ratio is currently -29.09%.

Key Headlines Impacting International Paper

Here are the key news stories impacting International Paper this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Citigroup raised its price target to $48 and assigned a Buy rating, implying approximately 17% potential upside based on the referenced price. The call suggests confidence in containerboard pricing and International Paper’s longer-term recovery prospects. Benzinga analyst price target report
• Positive Sentiment: Second-quarter adjusted EPS was $0.04, beating the consensus estimate of a $0.04 loss. Recent insider activity also showed five open-market purchases and no sales over the past six months, including purchases by the CEO and other executives. These factors may provide some support for investor confidence. International Paper second-quarter results
• Neutral Sentiment: JPMorgan upgraded International Paper’s stock rating, while other recent analyst targets have been mixed. Institutional positioning was also divided, with some large investors adding shares and others making substantial reductions. JPMorgan International Paper rating update
• Negative Sentiment: Revenue totaled $6.00 billion, below roughly $6.2 billion in expectations and down 11.3% year over year. The company reported a $12 million loss from continuing operations, negative free cash flow of $7 million, and reduced profitability expectations. Management projected full-year adjusted EBITDA of $3.20 billion to $3.40 billion and warned that a temporary Pine Hill, Alabama, mill closure will reduce third-quarter EBITDA by about $85 million. Higher maintenance, input and freight costs are adding further pressure. Zacks International Paper earnings analysis
• Negative Sentiment: Analysts cut estimates for second- and third-quarter EPS, reinforcing concerns that maintenance outages, macroeconomic headwinds and weaker profitability could outweigh the quarterly earnings beat. International Paper EPS forecast revision

About International Paper

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.