International Paper (IP) Competitors

Clearwater Paper (NYSE:CLW) and International Paper (NYSE:IP) are both basic materials companies, but which is the superior business? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their risk, dividends, profitability, media sentiment, valuation, institutional ownership, earnings and analyst recommendations.

Which has more risk and volatility, CLW or IP?

Clearwater Paper has a beta of 0.1, suggesting that its stock price is 90% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, International Paper has a beta of 1.02, suggesting that its stock price is 2% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Is CLW or IP more profitable?

Clearwater Paper has a net margin of 9.90% compared to International Paper's net margin of 1.99%. International Paper's return on equity of 4.05% beat Clearwater Paper's return on equity.

Company	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Clearwater Paper	9.90%	-5.76%	-2.10%
International Paper	1.99%	4.05%	1.60%

Which has preferable valuation and earnings, CLW or IP?

International Paper has higher revenue and earnings than Clearwater Paper. Clearwater Paper is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than International Paper, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Company	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Clearwater Paper	$1.38B	0.35	$196.30M	$10.33	2.88
International Paper	$18.62B	1.41	$557M	$1.17	42.63

Do analysts rate CLW or IP?

Clearwater Paper currently has a consensus target price of $37.00, indicating a potential upside of 24.24%. International Paper has a consensus target price of $54.54, indicating a potential upside of 9.35%. Given Clearwater Paper's stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, research analysts clearly believe Clearwater Paper is more favorable than International Paper.

Company	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Clearwater Paper	0 Sell rating(s)	0 Hold rating(s)	1 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	3.00
International Paper	2 Sell rating(s)	2 Hold rating(s)	6 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.40

Do insiders and institutionals have more ownership in CLW or IP?

90.0% of Clearwater Paper shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 82.0% of International Paper shares are owned by institutional investors. 3.6% of Clearwater Paper shares are owned by insiders. Comparatively, 0.6% of International Paper shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, endowments and hedge funds believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Does the media prefer CLW or IP?

In the previous week, International Paper had 23 more articles in the media than Clearwater Paper. MarketBeat recorded 29 mentions for International Paper and 6 mentions for Clearwater Paper. International Paper's average media sentiment score of 0.82 beat Clearwater Paper's score of -0.49 indicating that International Paper is being referred to more favorably in the news media.

Company	Very Positive	Positive	Neutral	Negative	Very Negative	Overall Sentiment
Clearwater Paper	0 Very Positive mention(s)	0 Positive mention(s)	2 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	4 Very Negative mention(s)	Neutral
International Paper	13 Very Positive mention(s)	4 Positive mention(s)	12 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive

Summary

International Paper beats Clearwater Paper on 10 of the 16 factors compared between the two stocks.