Traders Buy Large Volume of International Paper Call Options (NYSE:IP)

International Paper Company (NYSE:IP) saw some unusual options trading activity on Monday. Stock traders acquired 15,265 call options on the stock. This represents an increase of approximately 334% compared to the typical volume of 3,514 call options.

International Paper Stock Performance

Shares of IP stock opened at $36.34 on Tuesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $19.24 billion, a PE ratio of -5.71 and a beta of 0.96. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $33.63 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $38.27. The company has a current ratio of 1.21, a quick ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55. International Paper has a 12 month low of $29.26 and a 12 month high of $56.13.

International Paper (NYSE:IP) last announced 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). The business had revenue of $5.97 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.02 billion. International Paper had a negative net margin of 13.42% and a negative return on equity of 0.49%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 13.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.17 EPS. Analysts forecast that International Paper will post 1.38 EPS for the current fiscal year.

International Paper Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 12th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 22nd were paid a dividend of $0.4625 per share. This represents a $1.85 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.1%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 22nd. International Paper’s payout ratio is -29.09%.

Insider Buying and Selling at International Paper

In related news, Director Scott Tozier acquired 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 1st. The stock was bought at an average price of $31.30 per share, for a total transaction of $313,000.00. Following the purchase, the director directly owned 10,025 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $313,782.50. The trade was a 40,000.00% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.21% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On International Paper

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. MCF Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in International Paper by 36.7% during the 4th quarter. MCF Advisors LLC now owns 853 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 229 shares during the last quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC boosted its holdings in International Paper by 4.2% during the 4th quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC now owns 5,993 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $236,000 after acquiring an additional 242 shares during the last quarter. International Private Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in International Paper by 4.1% during the 4th quarter. International Private Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 6,175 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $243,000 after acquiring an additional 243 shares during the last quarter. Independent Advisor Alliance boosted its holdings in International Paper by 3.3% during the 4th quarter. Independent Advisor Alliance now owns 7,750 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $305,000 after acquiring an additional 244 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Horizon Investments LLC boosted its holdings in International Paper by 3.3% during the 4th quarter. Horizon Investments LLC now owns 8,456 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $333,000 after acquiring an additional 267 shares during the last quarter. 81.95% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Citigroup lowered their price objective on shares of International Paper from $44.00 to $36.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft assumed coverage on shares of International Paper in a research note on Wednesday, April 1st. They issued a “hold” rating and a $38.00 price objective for the company. BNP Paribas Exane lowered their price objective on shares of International Paper from $44.00 to $42.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, March 25th. Seaport Research Partners upgraded shares of International Paper from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $39.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Finally, Truist Financial decreased their price target on shares of International Paper from $48.00 to $44.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 15th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $43.73.

About International Paper

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.