Thrivent Financial for Lutherans Boosts Stake in International Paper Company $IP

Key Points

• Thrivent Financial for Lutherans increased its stake in International Paper by 25.3% in the fourth quarter, adding 52,195 shares and bringing its total holdings to 258,263 shares worth about $10.2 million.
• International Paper’s latest quarterly results missed analyst expectations, with EPS of $0.15 versus $0.18 expected and revenue of $5.97 billion versus $6.02 billion expected, even though revenue rose 13.4% year over year.
• The company also declared a quarterly dividend of $0.4625 per share, implying an annualized yield of about 6.3% based on the current payout.

Thrivent Financial for Lutherans lifted its holdings in International Paper Company (NYSE:IP - Free Report) by 25.3% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 258,263 shares of the basic materials company's stock after purchasing an additional 52,195 shares during the quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans' holdings in International Paper were worth $10,173,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of IP. AE Wealth Management LLC increased its position in International Paper by 8.5% during the third quarter. AE Wealth Management LLC now owns 332,310 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $15,419,000 after acquiring an additional 26,146 shares during the last quarter. Caprock Group LLC purchased a new stake in International Paper during the third quarter valued at $2,340,000. Icon Advisers Inc. Co. purchased a new stake in International Paper during the third quarter valued at $4,853,000. Advisors Preferred LLC purchased a new stake in International Paper during the third quarter valued at $1,181,000. Finally, Barclays PLC increased its position in International Paper by 12.4% during the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 2,348,177 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $108,955,000 after acquiring an additional 259,371 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.95% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

IP has been the subject of a number of research reports. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price objective 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. UBS Group reduced their price objective on International Paper from $40.00 to $32.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, May 4th. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded International Paper from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and upped their price objective for the company from $38.00 to $39.00 in a research report on Monday, May 4th. BNP Paribas Exane reduced their price objective on International Paper from $44.00 to $42.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, March 25th. Finally, Citigroup reduced their price objective on International Paper from $44.00 to $36.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, International Paper presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $43.73.

International Paper Stock Performance

Shares of IP opened at $29.42 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.94, a current ratio of 1.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $34.78 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $38.83. The stock has a market cap of $15.58 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -4.62 and a beta of 0.93. International Paper Company has a 52 week low of $29.36 and a 52 week high of $56.13.

International Paper (NYSE:IP - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The basic materials company reported $0.15 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.18 by ($0.03). The company had revenue of $5.97 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $6.02 billion. International Paper had a negative return on equity of 0.49% and a negative net margin of 13.42%.The business's quarterly revenue was up 13.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.17 EPS. On average, analysts expect that International Paper Company will post 1.38 EPS for the current year.

International Paper Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 12th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 22nd will be given a $0.4625 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 22nd. This represents a $1.85 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.3%. International Paper's dividend payout ratio is presently -29.09%.

International Paper News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: International Paper announced it has acquired Delmarva Corrugated Packaging in Dover, Delaware, expanding its East Coast footprint and sustainable packaging capacity. The deal should help strengthen its converting network and presence in a growing regional market. International Paper Acquires a Converting Facility from Delmarva Corrugated Packaging
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks Research raised its Q4 2026 EPS estimate for International Paper to $0.61 from $0.59 and increased its Q2 2027 estimate to $0.67 from $0.62, which suggests some improvement in longer-term earnings expectations. IP Boosts Footprint With Converting Facility Acquisition in Dover
• Neutral Sentiment: Several recent Zacks revisions were mixed overall, including higher estimates for some later periods but lower forecasts for Q2 2026, Q1 2027, and FY2026. The firm also maintained a “Strong Sell” rating, keeping sentiment cautious. Zacks estimate changes for International Paper
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks Research cut its Q2 2026 EPS estimate to $0.01 from $0.27, lowered FY2026 EPS to $1.28 from $1.60, and reduced Q1 2027 EPS to $0.51 from $0.72, reinforcing concerns about near-term earnings pressure. Zacks lowered estimates for International Paper

Insider Transactions at International Paper

In related news, Director Anders Gustafsson purchased 13,217 shares of International Paper stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 12th. The stock was acquired at an average price 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 position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Scott Tozier purchased 10,000 shares of International Paper stock in a transaction on Friday, May 1st. The stock was bought 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. This represents a 40,000.00% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. In the last 90 days, insiders acquired 36,092 shares of company stock valued at $1,313,064. Company insiders own 0.21% of the company's stock.

International Paper 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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