International Paper Company $IP Shares Sold by Cozad Asset Management Inc.

Cozad Asset Management Inc. reduced its stake in shares of International Paper Company (NYSE:IP) by 6.7% during the 2nd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 36,359 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 2,592 shares during the quarter. Cozad Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in International Paper were worth $1,703,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Mutual of America Capital Management LLC lifted its position in International Paper by 47.3% during the first quarter. Mutual of America Capital Management LLC now owns 61,305 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $3,271,000 after buying an additional 19,692 shares in the last quarter. IFP Advisors Inc increased its stake in shares of International Paper by 3.1% in the 1st quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 9,224 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $496,000 after acquiring an additional 275 shares during the last quarter. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH raised its holdings in shares of International Paper by 25.2% during the 1st quarter. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH now owns 231,509 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $12,351,000 after acquiring an additional 46,633 shares during the period. Pinnacle Associates Ltd. boosted its position in shares of International Paper by 5.4% during the 1st quarter. Pinnacle Associates Ltd. now owns 6,784 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $362,000 after acquiring an additional 349 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Avantax Advisory Services Inc. grew its holdings in shares of International Paper by 10.3% in the first quarter. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. now owns 36,817 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $1,964,000 after purchasing an additional 3,452 shares during the period. 81.95% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

International Paper Stock Performance

Shares of IP stock opened at $37.65 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52, a quick ratio of 0.96 and a current ratio of 1.33. The firm has a market cap of $19.88 billion, a P/E ratio of -376.50, a P/E/G ratio of 0.54 and a beta of 1.12. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $43.48 and its 200-day moving average price is $46.80. International Paper Company has a one year low of $35.56 and a one year high of $60.36.

International Paper (NYSE:IP) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, October 30th. The basic materials company reported ($0.43) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.53 by ($0.96). International Paper had a negative net margin of 0.12% and a positive return on equity of 2.63%. The firm had revenue of $6.22 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.76 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.33 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 56.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts predict that International Paper Company will post 2.77 EPS for the current year.

International Paper Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 16th. Investors of record on Friday, November 14th will be issued a dividend of $0.4625 per share. This represents a $1.85 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.9%. International Paper’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is -70.88%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other International Paper news, SVP Joseph R. Saab sold 9,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $45.53, for a total transaction of $409,770.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 27,673 shares in the company, valued at $1,259,951.69. This represents a 24.54% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 0.35% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have commented on IP shares. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of International Paper from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Saturday, October 18th. Jefferies Financial Group cut their price target on shares of International Paper from $61.00 to $59.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, September 26th. Citigroup decreased their price objective on International Paper from $55.00 to $46.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, November 3rd. Seaport Res Ptn lowered International Paper from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, October 6th. Finally, UBS Group cut their target price on International Paper from $60.00 to $55.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, October 6th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have given a Hold rating and four have given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $50.92.

International Paper Profile

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.