Sapient Capital LLC Makes New Investment in International Paper (NYSE:IP)

Sapient Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of International Paper (NYSE:IP - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 40,418 shares of the basic materials company's stock, valued at approximately $1,461,000.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in IP. Pathstone Family Office LLC bought a new position in shares of International Paper during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $1,164,000. StrategIQ Financial Group LLC acquired a new stake in International Paper during the 4th quarter valued at $2,271,000. Metis Global Partners LLC lifted its holdings in International Paper by 6.7% during the 3rd quarter. Metis Global Partners LLC now owns 21,824 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $774,000 after purchasing an additional 1,376 shares during the last quarter. SteelPeak Wealth LLC lifted its holdings in International Paper by 40.5% during the 3rd quarter. SteelPeak Wealth LLC now owns 20,935 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $743,000 after purchasing an additional 6,033 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Assenagon Asset Management S.A. lifted its holdings in International Paper by 70.1% during the 4th quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 207,329 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $7,495,000 after purchasing an additional 85,429 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 81.95% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

IP has been the subject of several research reports. Truist Financial reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $40.00 price target on shares of International Paper in a report on Wednesday, March 20th. Bank of America raised International Paper from an "underperform" rating to a "buy" rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $37.00 to $42.00 in a report on Monday, March 4th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on International Paper from $39.00 to $35.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 2nd. Argus downgraded International Paper from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, February 26th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reissued an "outperform" rating and set a $43.00 target price on shares of International Paper in a report on Friday, February 2nd. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $37.13.

International Paper Price Performance

IP stock traded down $0.67 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $37.14. The company had a trading volume of 5,939,033 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,581,612. International Paper has a 1-year low of $29.00 and a 1-year high of $41.28. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65, a current ratio of 1.67 and a quick ratio of 1.19. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $36.50 and a 200-day moving average price of $35.80. The company has a market capitalization of $12.90 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 45.28 and a beta of 0.99.

International Paper (NYSE:IP - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 1st. The basic materials company reported $0.41 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.34 by $0.07. International Paper had a return on equity of 8.87% and a net margin of 1.52%. The firm had revenue of $4.60 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.67 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.87 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was down 10.4% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts expect that International Paper will post 1.88 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other news, SVP James P. Jr. Royalty sold 5,800 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $34.75, for a total value of $201,550.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 69,488 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,414,708. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Insiders sold 8,200 shares of company stock valued at $287,770 over the last quarter. 0.51% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.