International Paper (NYSE:IP) Shares Sold by Nomura Holdings Inc.

Nomura Holdings Inc. cut its stake in shares of International Paper (NYSE:IP - Free Report) by 99.0% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 11,450 shares of the basic materials company's stock after selling 1,191,694 shares during the period. Nomura Holdings Inc.'s holdings in International Paper were worth $616,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. SPC Financial Inc. boosted its position in International Paper by 1.4% during the 4th quarter. SPC Financial Inc. now owns 14,100 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $759,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares during the period. AlphaMark Advisors LLC boosted its position in International Paper by 5.7% during the 4th quarter. AlphaMark Advisors LLC now owns 3,814 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $205,000 after purchasing an additional 204 shares during the period. Inspire Advisors LLC boosted its position in International Paper by 1.7% during the 4th quarter. Inspire Advisors LLC now owns 12,358 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $665,000 after purchasing an additional 204 shares during the period. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB boosted its position in International Paper by 14.7% during the 4th quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 1,601 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $86,000 after purchasing an additional 205 shares during the period. Finally, Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC boosted its position in International Paper by 1.4% during the 4th quarter. Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC now owns 15,244 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $820,000 after purchasing an additional 212 shares during the period. 81.95% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts recently weighed in on IP shares. Wall Street Zen cut shares of International Paper from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Monday, May 5th. Wells Fargo & Company reissued an "underweight" rating and issued a $40.00 price objective (down from $45.00) on shares of International Paper in a research report on Friday, May 9th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. started coverage on shares of International Paper in a research report on Thursday, March 20th. They issued an "overweight" rating and a $59.00 price objective for the company. Citigroup started coverage on shares of International Paper in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $60.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Bank of America started coverage on shares of International Paper in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. They issued a "neutral" rating for the company. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating, five have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, International Paper currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $53.86.

Insider Activity

In related news, CAO Holly G. Goughnour sold 7,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $44.85, for a total transaction of $336,375.00. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 31,525 shares in the company, valued at $1,413,896.25. This represents a 19.22% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.35% of the company's stock.

International Paper Stock Down 2.0%

Shares of International Paper stock traded down $0.95 during trading on Friday, reaching $47.68. The company had a trading volume of 2,695,755 shares, compared to its average volume of 7,851,314. The company has a market cap of $25.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.37, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.39 and a beta of 1.03. The firm's fifty day moving average is $48.51 and its 200-day moving average is $53.20. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a quick ratio of 1.08 and a current ratio of 1.49. International Paper has a fifty-two week low of $41.50 and a fifty-two week high of $60.36.

International Paper (NYSE:IP - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, April 30th. The basic materials company reported $0.23 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.35 by ($0.12). The company had revenue of $5.90 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.38 billion. International Paper had a net margin of 2.99% and a return on equity of 4.75%. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 27.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.17 EPS. On average, analysts anticipate that International Paper will post 2.77 EPS for the current year.

International Paper Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 13th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 23rd will be paid a $0.4625 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 23rd. This represents a $1.85 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.88%. International Paper's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 158.12%.

About International Paper

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.