Values First Advisors Inc. Takes Position in International Paper Company $IP

Key Points

• Values First Advisors Inc. acquired 6,890 shares of International Paper Company, worth approximately $323,000, as noted in a recent SEC filing.
• Insider Joseph R. Saab sold 9,000 shares at an average price of $45.53, reducing his holdings by 24.54%.
• International Paper recently declared a quarterly dividend of $0.4625 per share, with a current yield of 4.0%.

Values First Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in shares of International Paper Company (NYSE:IP - Free Report) in the second quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund bought 6,890 shares of the basic materials company's stock, valued at approximately $323,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Stratos Wealth Partners LTD. raised its holdings in shares of International Paper by 2.0% in the first quarter. Stratos Wealth Partners LTD. now owns 14,074 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $751,000 after acquiring an additional 282 shares in the last quarter. Spire Wealth Management raised its holdings in shares of International Paper by 2,343.9% in the first quarter. Spire Wealth Management now owns 1,613 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $86,000 after acquiring an additional 1,547 shares in the last quarter. Consolidated Planning Corp bought a new stake in shares of International Paper in the second quarter valued at about $317,000. MBB Public Markets I LLC bought a new stake in shares of International Paper in the first quarter valued at about $313,000. Finally, Alliancebernstein L.P. raised its holdings in shares of International Paper by 47.0% in the first quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 553,438 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $29,526,000 after acquiring an additional 176,991 shares in the last quarter. 81.95% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, SVP Joseph R. Saab sold 9,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $45.53, for a total value of $409,770.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 27,673 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,259,951.69. This represents a 24.54% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Company insiders own 0.35% of the company's stock.

International Paper Stock Performance

IP opened at $46.66 on Friday. International Paper Company has a 52-week low of $43.27 and a 52-week high of $60.36. The company has a quick ratio of 0.96, a current ratio of 1.33 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52. The company has a market cap of $24.64 billion, a P/E ratio of -466.60, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.57 and a beta of 1.10. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $47.16 and its 200-day moving average price is $47.92.

International Paper (NYSE:IP - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 31st. The basic materials company reported $0.20 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.38 by ($0.18). International Paper had a negative net margin of 0.12% and a positive return on equity of 2.63%. The company had revenue of $6.77 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.64 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.55 EPS. The business's revenue was up 42.9% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that International Paper Company will post 2.77 EPS for the current fiscal year.

International Paper Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 16th. Investors of record on Friday, November 14th will be issued a $0.4625 dividend. This represents a $1.85 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.0%. International Paper's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently -1,850.00%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on IP. Weiss Ratings restated a "hold (c)" rating on shares of International Paper in a report on Tuesday. BNP Paribas Exane lowered their price target on shares of International Paper from $42.10 to $40.40 and set an "underperform" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Bank of America upgraded shares of International Paper from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and raised their price target for the company from $55.00 to $57.00 in a report on Thursday, August 28th. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their price target on shares of International Paper from $61.00 to $59.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, September 26th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut shares of International Paper from an "overweight" rating to a "neutral" rating and lowered their price target for the company from $55.00 to $54.00 in a report on Tuesday, August 5th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $53.46.

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.

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