Jefferies Financial Group Inc. Makes New $7.27 Million Investment in International Paper Company $IP

Jefferies Financial Group Inc. acquired a new position in International Paper Company (NYSE:IP) during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund acquired 184,515 shares of the basic materials company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,268,000.

Several other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in IP. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position 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 valued at $2,535,058,000 after purchasing an additional 310,834 shares during the period. Capital Research Global Investors raised its position in shares of International Paper by 7.5% in the third quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 54,330,790 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $2,520,945,000 after purchasing an additional 3,768,772 shares during the period. Capital International Investors raised its position in shares of International Paper by 51.4% in the third quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 48,990,719 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $2,272,966,000 after purchasing an additional 16,622,062 shares during the period. State Street Corp raised its position in shares of International Paper by 0.8% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 29,612,060 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $1,374,000,000 after purchasing an additional 225,444 shares during the period. Finally, Invesco Ltd. raised its position in shares of International Paper by 11.8% in the third quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 9,121,170 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $423,222,000 after purchasing an additional 960,240 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 81.95% of the company’s stock.

International Paper Trading Down 0.0%

NYSE:IP opened at $31.28 on Tuesday. The company has a fifty day moving average of $34.25 and a 200 day moving average of $38.65. International Paper Company has a 52 week low of $29.26 and a 52 week high of $56.13. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $16.56 billion, a P/E ratio of -4.92 and a beta of 0.93.

International Paper (NYSE:IP) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The basic materials company reported $0.15 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.18 by ($0.03). International Paper had a negative return on equity of 0.49% and a negative net margin of 13.42%.The company had revenue of $5.97 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.02 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.17 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 13.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts predict that International Paper Company will post 1.38 earnings per share for the current year.

International Paper Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 12th. Investors of record on Friday, May 22nd will be paid a $0.4625 dividend. This represents a $1.85 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.9%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 22nd. International Paper’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently -29.09%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Seaport Research Partners raised shares of International Paper from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $39.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Friday, May 1st. UBS Group decreased their target price on shares of International Paper from $40.00 to $32.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, May 4th. BNP Paribas Exane decreased their target price on shares of International Paper from $44.00 to $42.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, March 25th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft assumed coverage on shares of International Paper in a report on Wednesday, April 1st. They set a “hold” rating and a $38.00 target price on the stock. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on shares of International Paper from $46.00 to $43.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, May 1st. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $43.73.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Anders Gustafsson acquired 13,217 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 12th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $37.83 per share, with a total value of $499,999.11. Following the transaction, the director owned 26,092 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $987,060.36. This trade represents a 102.66% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Scott Tozier acquired 10,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 1st. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $31.30 per share, for a total transaction of $313,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 10,025 shares in the company, valued at $313,782.50. The trade was a 40,000.00% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. Over the last quarter, insiders purchased 36,092 shares of company stock valued at $1,313,064. 0.21% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.