International Paper Company $IP Shares Acquired by Fifth Third Bancorp

Key Points

• Fifth Third Bancorp boosted its stake in International Paper by 654.8% in Q1, ending the period with 146,080 shares valued at about $5.2 million.
• Institutional interest remains strong, with hedge funds and other investors owning 81.95% of the company; notable holders such as Capital International Investors and Franklin Resources also increased their positions.
• Analyst sentiment is mixed but generally constructive: Wells Fargo reiterated a Buy rating, RBC raised its price target to $48, while International Paper reported a quarterly EPS miss and announced a 4.9% dividend yield.

Fifth Third Bancorp raised its stake in International Paper Company (NYSE:IP - Free Report) by 654.8% in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 146,080 shares of the basic materials company's stock after acquiring an additional 126,726 shares during the quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp's holdings in International Paper were worth $5,215,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Capital International Investors lifted its position in shares of International Paper by 29.4% in the fourth quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 63,413,335 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $2,498,013,000 after acquiring an additional 14,422,616 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its holdings in International Paper by 81.6% in the 4th quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 14,832,952 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $584,270,000 after purchasing an additional 6,663,986 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new position in International Paper in the fourth quarter worth approximately $250,093,000. Atlas FRM LLC grew its holdings in shares of International Paper by 56.2% during the 4th quarter. Atlas FRM LLC now owns 5,000,000 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $196,950,000 after purchasing an additional 1,800,000 shares during the period. Finally, Invesco Ltd. increased its position in shares of International Paper by 18.0% during the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 10,764,533 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $424,015,000 after acquiring an additional 1,643,363 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.95% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at International Paper

In other International Paper news, Director Scott Tozier purchased 10,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Friday, May 1st. The stock was bought at an average cost of $31.30 per share, for a total transaction of $313,000.00. Following the acquisition, the director owned 10,025 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $313,782.50. The trade was a 40,000.00% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 0.21% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Key Headlines Impacting International Paper

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

• Positive Sentiment: Wells Fargo reiterated a Buy rating on International Paper, and Royal Bank of Canada raised its price target from $45 to $48, signaling continued analyst confidence in upside potential. International Paper Co (IP) Gets a Buy from Wells Fargo
• Positive Sentiment: The company announced new independent board appointments, adding Katherine Collins and Lori J. Ryerkerk, which may be viewed as a governance-strengthening move. International Paper Announces Changes to Its Board of Directors
• Positive Sentiment: Truist Financial issued a positive forecast for International Paper, adding to the constructive analyst tone around the stock. Truist Financial Issues Positive Forecast for International Paper NYSE: IP Stock Price
• Neutral Sentiment: International Paper’s board changes also included the departure of directors Dr. Kathryn Sullivan and Ahmet, suggesting a broader refresh rather than a clear operational catalyst. International Paper Announces Changes to Its Board of Directors
• Neutral Sentiment: Zacks Research trimmed its Q3 2026 EPS estimate to $0.51 from $0.53 and lowered FY2028 EPS slightly to $3.25 from $3.28, but kept a Hold rating, making this more of a mild caution than a major negative. International Paper Company NYSE: IP - Free Report
• Negative Sentiment: International Paper said it will close its Carrollton South, Texas packaging facility by the end of Q3 2026, and another report said the company will also close a Texas plant, highlighting ongoing network rationalization that can weigh on sentiment. International Paper to Close Carrollton South, Texas Packaging Facility

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have issued reports on IP shares. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their price target on shares of International Paper from $45.00 to $48.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft assumed coverage on International Paper in a report on Wednesday, April 1st. They issued a "hold" rating and a $38.00 target price on the stock. Weiss Ratings downgraded International Paper from a "sell (d+)" rating to a "sell (d)" rating in a report on Monday, April 27th. Zacks Research upgraded International Paper from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, July 13th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on International Paper from $39.00 to $42.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 9th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $44.31.

International Paper Trading Down 0.9%

Shares of IP stock opened at $37.53 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $19.87 billion, a P/E ratio of -5.90 and a beta of 0.94. The company has a current ratio of 1.21, a quick ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55. International Paper Company has a twelve month low of $29.26 and a twelve month high of $56.13. The business's 50 day moving average is $35.04 and its two-hundred day moving average is $38.04.

International Paper (NYSE:IP - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The basic materials company reported $0.15 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.18 by ($0.03). The business had revenue of $5.97 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $6.02 billion. International Paper had a negative net margin of 13.42% and a negative return on equity of 0.49%. International Paper's revenue for the quarter was up 13.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.17 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that International Paper Company will post 1.39 EPS for the current year.

International Paper Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed 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. This represents a $1.85 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.9%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 14th. International Paper's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently -29.09%.

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.

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