Zacks Research Has Pessimistic View of IP FY2026 Earnings

International Paper Company (NYSE:IP) – Equities researchers at Zacks Research lowered their FY2026 EPS estimates for International Paper in a report issued on Thursday, August 13th. Zacks Research analyst Team now forecasts that the basic materials company will earn $1.32 per share for the year, down from their prior estimate of $1.34. Zacks Research has a “Hold” rating on the stock. The consensus estimate for International Paper’s current full-year earnings is $1.34 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for International Paper’s Q2 2027 earnings at $0.67 EPS, Q3 2027 earnings at $0.72 EPS, Q4 2027 earnings at $0.75 EPS and Q2 2028 earnings at $0.78 EPS.

Several other research firms have also recently weighed in on IP. UBS Group lifted their price objective on shares of International Paper from $40.00 to $47.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, July 31st. Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d)” rating on shares of International Paper in a report on Friday, July 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised International Paper from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and raised their target price for the stock from $51.00 to $61.00 in a research report on Tuesday, July 28th. Truist Financial reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $49.00 price target (up from $46.00) on shares of International Paper in a report on Friday, July 31st. Finally, Seaport Research Partners reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $46.00 price target on shares of International Paper in a report on Wednesday, August 12th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $48.75.

International Paper Stock Down 1.1%

Shares of NYSE:IP opened at $40.29 on Monday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $38.69 and a 200 day simple moving average of $37.89. International Paper has a 52 week low of $29.26 and a 52 week high of $50.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57, a quick ratio of 0.84 and a current ratio of 1.10. The company has a market cap of $21.34 billion, a PE ratio of -6.18 and a beta of 0.94.

International Paper (NYSE:IP) last released its earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The basic materials company reported $0.04 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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 business had revenue of $6 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.19 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.20 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 11.3% compared to the same quarter last year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. McIlrath & Eck LLC lifted its stake in shares of International Paper by 452.6% in the 4th quarter. McIlrath & Eck LLC now owns 641 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 525 shares during the last quarter. MV Capital Management Inc. acquired a new position in International Paper during the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Aberdeen Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in International Paper during the second quarter valued at about $27,000. DV Equities LLC bought a new position in International Paper during the fourth quarter valued at about $29,000. Finally, Ascentis Independent Advisors acquired a new stake in shares of International Paper in the first quarter worth about $28,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.95% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other International Paper news, CAO Holly G. Goughnour sold 3,500 shares of International Paper stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $41.96, for a total value of $146,860.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 34,248 shares in the company, valued at $1,437,046.08. The trade was a 9.27% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, VP William Thomas Hamic sold 24,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $41.20, for a total transaction of $1,009,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president directly owned 106,952 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,406,422.40. This represents a 18.64% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Corporate insiders own 0.21% of the company’s stock.

International Paper Dividend Announcement

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 paid a $0.4625 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 14th. This represents a $1.85 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.6%. International Paper’s payout ratio is presently -28.37%.

International Paper Company 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.