International Paper (NYSE:IP) Releases Earnings Results, Beats Estimates By $0.14 EPS

International Paper (NYSE:IP) announced its earnings results on Wednesday. The basic materials company reported $0.55 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.41 by $0.14, Briefing.com reports. The firm had revenue of $4.73 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.78 billion. International Paper had a return on equity of 7.45% and a net margin of 0.93%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 1.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.59 EPS.

International Paper Stock Down 0.1 %

Shares of IP stock traded down $0.04 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $46.24. The stock had a trading volume of 12,605,726 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,849,655. International Paper has a 12-month low of $31.76 and a 12-month high of $47.40. The firm has a market capitalization of $16.06 billion, a P/E ratio of 94.37 and a beta of 1.06. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $44.60 and its two-hundred day moving average is $39.40. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a current ratio of 1.68 and a quick ratio of 1.22.

International Paper Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 16th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, August 15th will be issued a $0.4625 dividend. This represents a $1.85 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.00%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 15th. International Paper’s dividend payout ratio is 377.55%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other International Paper news, Director Kathryn D. Sullivan sold 600 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, May 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $44.58, for a total value of $26,748.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 45,479 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,027,453.82. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 3,600 shares of company stock worth $150,594. 0.55% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Seaport Res Ptn raised International Paper from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, June 28th. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price objective on International Paper from $52.00 to $56.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded International Paper from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their price objective for the company from $38.00 to $57.00 in a report on Thursday, May 23rd. Stifel Nicolaus assumed coverage on International Paper in a report on Tuesday, July 9th. They set a “hold” rating and a $48.70 price objective for the company. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on International Paper from $43.00 to $45.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with 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, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $49.96.

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.