Comerica Bank Sells 485,133 Shares of International Paper Company $IP

Key Points

• Comerica Bank cut its stake in International Paper by 80.2%, selling 485,133 shares and leaving it with 119,539 shares valued at about $4.71 million.
• International Paper missed Q1 expectations (EPS $0.15 vs. $0.18; revenue $5.97B vs. ~$6.02B), which pressured margins and spurred analyst downgrades and lower price targets.
• The company bolstered liquidity after receiving ~ $1.1B from the sale of its Global Cellulose Fibers unit (using ~ $660M to pay down debt) and is guiding to $3.2B–$3.5B adjusted EBITDA and $300M–$500M free cash flow for 2026, while insiders have made recent purchases of stock.

Comerica Bank cut its position in shares of International Paper Company (NYSE:IP - Free Report) by 80.2% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 119,539 shares of the basic materials company's stock after selling 485,133 shares during the period. Comerica Bank's holdings in International Paper were worth $4,709,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in International Paper by 0.5% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 64,357,913 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $2,535,058,000 after purchasing an additional 310,834 shares in the last quarter. Capital Research Global Investors raised its position in International Paper by 7.5% during the 3rd quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 54,330,790 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $2,520,945,000 after purchasing an additional 3,768,772 shares in the last quarter. Capital International Investors raised its position in International Paper by 51.4% during the 3rd quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 48,990,719 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $2,272,966,000 after purchasing an additional 16,622,062 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp raised its position in International Paper by 0.8% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 29,612,060 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $1,374,000,000 after purchasing an additional 225,444 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Invesco Ltd. raised its position in International Paper by 11.8% during the 3rd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 9,121,170 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $423,222,000 after purchasing an additional 960,240 shares in the last quarter. 81.95% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

International Paper Trading Up 4.7%

Shares of NYSE:IP opened at $31.85 on Friday. The business's 50-day moving average is $37.25 and its 200 day moving average is $40.12. International Paper Company has a 1 year low of $29.45 and a 1 year high of $56.13. The firm has a market capitalization of $16.86 billion, a P/E ratio of -4.75 and a beta of 0.94. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55, a current ratio of 1.21 and a quick ratio of 1.02.

International Paper (NYSE:IP - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The basic materials company reported $0.15 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate 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 business had revenue of $5.97 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.02 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.17 earnings per share. The company's quarterly revenue was up 13.4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts predict that International Paper Company will post 1.63 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Key Headlines Impacting International Paper

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

• Positive Sentiment: Director Scott Tozier bought 10,000 shares at about $31.30, a direct insider purchase that can be viewed as a vote of confidence by management. SEC Form 4
• Positive Sentiment: Balance‑sheet and cash flow actions: IP received ~$1.1B net proceeds from the sale of its Global Cellulose Fibers business, used ~$660M to pay down debt, generated $611M of operating cash and reported $94M FCF for Q1 — these moves materially improve liquidity and lower leverage. Press Release
• Positive Sentiment: Management’s 2026 targets: IP is guiding to $3.2B–$3.5B of adjusted EBITDA for 2026 and is targeting $300M–$500M of free cash flow, providing a framework for recovery if cost pressures ease. SA: 2026 targets
• Neutral Sentiment: Company filed an 8‑K and held its Q1 call; the transcript and slide deck are available for investors to assess management commentary on costs and the EMEA separation. TipRanks 8‑K
• Neutral Sentiment: Unusually large options flow was observed (big increase in both call and put activity), signaling heightened short‑term speculative interest and volatility. (No single authoritative story; flagged in market activity notes.)
• Negative Sentiment: Q1 missed expectations on EPS ($0.15 vs. $0.18 consensus) and revenue ($5.97B vs. ~$6.02B), and margins were pressured — a direct near‑term negative for sentiment. Q1 results
• Negative Sentiment: Analysts cut forecasts and price targets after Q1 and guidance; JPMorgan trimmed its PT to $43 and moved to neutral, and several outlets report analysts “slashing” forecasts — these actions weigh on near‑term upside. Benzinga: analyst reactions
• Negative Sentiment: Management trimmed its 2026 adjusted EBITDA outlook vs. prior expectations and cited higher costs and macro pressures — the primary driver of the recent negative revisions in sentiment. Zacks: lowered outlook

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have weighed in on IP. UBS Group decreased their target price on International Paper from $44.00 to $40.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, April 10th. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their target price on International Paper from $51.80 to $50.70 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, February 9th. Zacks Research lowered International Paper from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 23rd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft started coverage on International Paper in a research report on Wednesday, April 1st. They issued a "hold" rating and a $38.00 price target for the company. Finally, Weiss Ratings lowered International Paper from a "sell (d+)" rating to a "sell (d)" rating in a research report on Monday. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have issued a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, International Paper presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $44.98.

Insider Activity

In other International Paper news, Director Scott Tozier bought 10,000 shares of International Paper stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 1st. The shares were bought 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 of the company's stock, valued at approximately $313,782.50. This represents a 40,000.00% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Anders Gustafsson bought 13,217 shares of International Paper stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 12th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $37.83 per share, for a total transaction of $499,999.11. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 26,092 shares in the company, valued at $987,060.36. This represents a 102.66% increase in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have purchased a total of 36,092 shares of company stock worth $1,313,064 over the last ninety days. 0.21% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding IP? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for International Paper Company (NYSE:IP - Free Report).

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.