Sei Investments Co. Grows Position in International Paper Company $IP

Key Points

• Sei Investments increased its International Paper stake by 47.4% in the first quarter, adding 148,277 shares to hold 461,282 shares valued at approximately $16.5 million.
• International Paper is attracting broader institutional interest, with institutional investors owning 81.95% of outstanding shares. Analysts have a “Moderate Buy” consensus and an average price target of $46.36.
• The company’s outlook remains mixed ahead of earnings: JPMorgan upgraded the stock and raised its target to $61 on improving linerboard pricing, while near-term EPS estimates were lowered. International Paper also declared a quarterly dividend of $0.4625 per share, representing a 4.3% annualized yield.

Sei Investments Co. grew its holdings in shares of International Paper Company (NYSE:IP - Free Report) by 47.4% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 461,282 shares of the basic materials company's stock after acquiring an additional 148,277 shares during the quarter. Sei Investments Co. owned about 0.09% of International Paper worth $16,468,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of IP. McIlrath & Eck LLC boosted its stake in International Paper by 452.6% in the fourth quarter. McIlrath & Eck LLC now owns 641 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 525 shares in the last quarter. MV Capital Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of International Paper in the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Ascentis Independent Advisors purchased a new stake in shares of International Paper in the 1st quarter valued at $28,000. DV Equities LLC bought a new position in shares of International Paper during the 4th quarter valued at $29,000. Finally, Sound Income Strategies LLC raised its position in International Paper by 94.0% in the 4th quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 710 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 344 shares during the period. 81.95% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

International Paper News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: JPMorgan upgraded IP to Overweight and raised its price target to $61 from $51, citing an improving U.S. linerboard pricing cycle. The new target implies substantial upside from recent trading levels. International Paper raised at JP Morgan on improving US linerboard pricing cycle
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks Research raised its FY2026 EPS estimate to $1.34 from $1.32, its Q4 2026 estimate to $0.75 from $0.69, its Q1 2027 estimate to $0.58 from $0.56, and its FY2028 forecast to $3.35 from $3.25. These increases suggest longer-term earnings improvement potential.
• Neutral Sentiment: International Paper is scheduled to report earnings tomorrow. The report could provide important evidence on pricing, demand, margins and the company’s outlook. International Paper reports earnings tomorrow: What to expect
• Neutral Sentiment: Zacks maintained a “Hold” rating. Its earnings revisions were mixed, with some longer-term upgrades offset by changes to individual quarterly forecasts.
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks cut its Q2 2026 EPS forecast to a loss of $0.04 from a loss of $0.02 and reduced its Q3 2026 estimate to $0.48 from $0.51. The lowered near-term forecasts could weigh on sentiment before the earnings release.
• Negative Sentiment: Put-option volume surged to 16,246 contracts, about 341% above average. While options activity does not guarantee a decline, it signals increased hedging or bearish speculation around IP.

International Paper Trading Down 3.4%

NYSE:IP opened at $42.59 on Thursday. International Paper Company has a 12 month low of $29.26 and a 12 month high of $54.63. The company has a current ratio of 1.21, a quick ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $36.44 and a 200-day moving average price of $38.02. The stock has a market cap of $22.55 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -6.70 and a beta of 0.94.

International Paper (NYSE:IP - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The basic materials company reported $0.15 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.18 by ($0.03). International Paper had a negative return on equity of 0.49% and a negative net margin of 13.42%.The company had revenue of $5.97 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.02 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.17 earnings per share. International Paper's quarterly revenue was up 13.4% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts predict that International Paper Company will post 1.4 EPS for the current year.

International Paper Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 14th will be issued a dividend of $0.4625 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 14th. This represents a $1.85 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.3%. International Paper's dividend payout ratio is -29.09%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on IP. Seaport Research Partners raised International Paper from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $39.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on International Paper from $39.00 to $42.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 9th. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their price objective on International Paper from $45.00 to $48.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, July 17th. Truist Financial increased their price objective on International Paper from $40.00 to $46.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 15th. Finally, UBS Group cut their target price on shares of International Paper from $40.00 to $32.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, May 4th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, International Paper presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $46.36.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Scott Tozier bought 10,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 1st. The stock was purchased at an average price of $31.30 per share, with a total value of $313,000.00. Following the transaction, 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 ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.21% of the company's stock.

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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