International Paper (NYSE:IP) Upgraded to Buy at Seaport Research Partners

Key Points

• Seaport Research upgraded International Paper to a "Buy" from "Neutral" on Friday, marking a notable analyst endorsement amid mixed coverage.
• Analyst sentiment is mixed — the stock has eight Buy, four Hold and two Sell ratings (consensus "Hold" with a $45.48 average target), while shares trade around $31 after a Q1 EPS miss ($0.15 vs. $0.18) and trimmed near‑term guidance pressured the stock.
• Company strengthened liquidity and set full‑year targets — IP generated strong cash flow, received $1.1B from the Global Cellulose Fibers sale (using $660M to pay down debt), and guided to $3.2–$3.5B adjusted EBITDA and $300–$500M free cash flow for 2026.

International Paper (NYSE:IP - Get Free Report) was upgraded by stock analysts at Seaport Research Partners from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report issued on Friday, Marketbeat reports.

A number of other equities analysts have also recently issued reports on IP. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their target price on International Paper from $51.80 to $50.70 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Monday, February 9th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft started coverage on International Paper in a research note on Wednesday, April 1st. They issued a "hold" rating and a $38.00 price target for the company. Zacks Research cut International Paper from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 23rd. Citigroup decreased their price target on International Paper from $47.00 to $44.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 14th. Finally, UBS Group decreased their price target on International Paper from $44.00 to $40.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, April 10th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, International Paper has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $45.48.

International Paper Price Performance

Shares of International Paper stock traded up $0.59 during trading on Friday, reaching $31.01. 730,402 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 7,183,287. 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 has a 1-year low of $29.45 and a 1-year high of $56.13. The company has a market cap of $16.42 billion, a P/E ratio of -4.60 and a beta of 1.14. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $37.25 and its 200 day moving average price is $40.12.

International Paper (NYSE:IP - Get Free Report) last posted 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). International Paper had a negative return on equity of 0.35% and a negative net margin of 14.12%.The business had revenue of $5.97 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.02 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.17 EPS. International Paper's quarterly revenue was up 13.4% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts anticipate that International Paper will post 1.63 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity at International Paper

In other International Paper news, Director Anders Gustafsson bought 13,217 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 12th. The shares were bought at an average price of $37.83 per share, for a total transaction of $499,999.11. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 26,092 shares in the company, valued at approximately $987,060.36. This trade represents a 102.66% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.21% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of International Paper

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of International Paper by 0.5% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 64,357,913 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $2,535,058,000 after purchasing an additional 310,834 shares during the last quarter. Capital International Investors increased its position in shares of International Paper by 29.4% during the fourth quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 63,413,335 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $2,498,013,000 after acquiring an additional 14,422,616 shares during the last quarter. Capital Research Global Investors increased its position in shares of International Paper by 0.4% during the fourth quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 54,535,444 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $2,148,154,000 after acquiring an additional 204,654 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp increased its position in shares of International Paper by 1.3% during the fourth quarter. State Street Corp now owns 30,009,733 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $1,182,083,000 after acquiring an additional 397,673 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. increased its position in shares of International Paper by 81.6% during the fourth quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 14,832,952 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $584,270,000 after acquiring an additional 6,663,986 shares during the last quarter. 81.95% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key International Paper News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Company generated strong cash and reduced leverage: $611M cash from operations, $94M free cash flow in Q1, and received $1.1B net proceeds from the Global Cellulose Fibers sale, using $660M to pay down debt — helps shore up the balance sheet. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Management set full-year targets of $3.2B–$3.5B adjusted EBITDA for 2026 and is targeting $300M–$500M of free cash flow — gives investors a clear financial frame for the year even as near-term headwinds persist. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Corporate actions and investor communications: IP filed an 8‑K and scheduled an earnings/separation call to discuss Q1 results and its EMEA separation plan — provides transparency but not immediate earnings relief. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Unusual options activity: heavy call buying (24,482 contracts) and elevated put volume were both reported — signals heightened trader interest and potential volatility but unclear directional conviction. (Market reports)
• Negative Sentiment: Q1 missed EPS and slightly missed sales: reported $0.15 EPS vs. $0.18 consensus and revenue $5.97B vs. $6.02B est. — misses and margin pressure drove the initial selloff. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Management trimmed near‑term profit outlook and flagged higher costs: company issued downbeat Q2 adjusted EBITDA guidance ($520M–$570M) and lowered cadence assumptions amid cost inflation, prompting analyst concern and at least one downgrade note. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst and market reaction: coverage highlights downside risk from the reduced outlook and the stock dropped precipitously after the release; some analysts lowered 2026 EBITDA views citing rising costs. Read More.

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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