International Paper Company $IP Shares Sold by Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC

Key Points

• Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC reduced its stake in International Paper by 30.5% in Q4, selling 28,175 shares and retaining 64,098 shares worth about $2.63 million.
• Insiders increased holdings — company insiders bought 76,092 shares (~$2.999M) last quarter, including CEO Andrew K. Silvernail's 50,000-share purchase at $39.98 (~$1.999M) and Director Anders Gustafsson's 13,217-share purchase at $37.83 (~$500k).
• Q4 results missed expectations: IP reported ($0.08) EPS vs. a $0.28 estimate despite revenue rising 53.1% to $6.01 billion, and analysts maintain a consensus "Moderate Buy" with an average price target of $47.06.

Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC lowered its stake in shares of International Paper Company (NYSE:IP - Free Report) by 30.5% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 64,098 shares of the basic materials company's stock after selling 28,175 shares during the period. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC's holdings in International Paper were worth $2,634,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. AE Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in International Paper by 8.5% during the 3rd quarter. AE Wealth Management LLC now owns 332,310 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $15,419,000 after buying an additional 26,146 shares during the period. Caprock Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of International Paper in the third quarter worth $2,340,000. Advisors Preferred LLC acquired a new position in International Paper during the 3rd quarter worth $1,181,000. Icon Advisers Inc. Co. purchased a new stake in International Paper during the 3rd quarter worth about $4,853,000. Finally, FORA Capital LLC acquired a new stake in International Paper in the 2nd quarter valued at about $3,486,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.95% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at International Paper

In related news, CEO Andrew K. Silvernail acquired 50,000 shares of International Paper stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 30th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $39.98 per share, for a total transaction of $1,999,000.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the chief executive officer directly owned 50,000 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,999,000. This trade represents a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Anders Gustafsson acquired 13,217 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 12th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $37.83 per share, for a total transaction of $499,999.11. Following the acquisition, the director owned 26,092 shares of the company's stock, valued at $987,060.36. This represents a 102.66% increase in their position. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. Insiders acquired 76,092 shares of company stock valued at $2,999,064 in the last quarter. 0.35% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

International Paper Stock Performance

Shares of IP opened at $35.58 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $18.84 billion, a P/E ratio of -5.30 and a beta of 1.09. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60, a quick ratio of 1.02 and a current ratio of 1.28. International Paper Company has a 1 year low of $33.57 and a 1 year high of $56.13. The company's fifty day moving average is $41.47 and its two-hundred day moving average is $41.74.

International Paper (NYSE:IP - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The basic materials company reported ($0.08) earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.28 by ($0.36). The firm had revenue of $6.01 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $5.90 billion. International Paper had a negative net margin of 14.12% and a negative return on equity of 0.35%. The firm's revenue was up 53.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned ($0.02) EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that International Paper Company will post 2.77 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Truist Financial set a $48.00 price objective on shares of International Paper in a report on Thursday, February 26th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "sell (d+)" rating on shares of International Paper in a report on Friday, March 27th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft assumed coverage on International Paper in a research note on Wednesday. They set a "hold" rating and a $38.00 target price for the company. UBS Group downgraded shares of International Paper from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and reduced their price objective for the stock from $51.00 to $44.00 in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded shares of International Paper from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, March 13th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, International Paper presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $47.06.

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.

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