Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC Purchases 7,820 Shares of International Paper (NYSE:IP)

Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC grew its stake in shares of International Paper (NYSE:IP) by 23.8% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 40,676 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after buying an additional 7,820 shares during the period. Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC’s holdings in International Paper were worth $1,755,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD lifted its position in shares of International Paper by 35.1% during the 1st quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 21,135,702 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $824,716,000 after buying an additional 5,492,035 shares in the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp lifted its position in shares of International Paper by 133.7% during the 2nd quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 14,214,754 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $613,367,000 after buying an additional 8,132,332 shares in the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA purchased a new position in International Paper in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $119,012,000. Norges Bank bought a new position in International Paper in the 4th quarter worth approximately $94,913,000. Finally, Diamond Hill Capital Management Inc. bought a new position in International Paper in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $81,187,000. 81.95% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

International Paper Stock Down 2.5 %

NYSE IP opened at $48.71 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62, a quick ratio of 1.17 and a current ratio of 1.59. The company has a market capitalization of $16.92 billion, a P/E ratio of 99.41 and a beta of 1.04. International Paper has a one year low of $31.76 and a one year high of $50.68. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $47.00 and a 200-day moving average price of $42.73.

International Paper (NYSE:IP) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 24th. The basic materials company reported $0.55 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.41 by $0.14. International Paper had a return on equity of 7.28% and a net margin of 2.34%. The company had revenue of $4.73 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.78 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.59 EPS. International Paper’s quarterly revenue was up 1.1% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts predict that International Paper will post 1.55 EPS for the current fiscal year.

International Paper Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 16th. Investors of record on Thursday, August 15th were issued a dividend of $0.4625 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, August 15th. This represents a $1.85 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.80%. International Paper’s payout ratio is presently 377.55%.

Insider Activity at International Paper

In related news, Director Kathryn D. Sullivan sold 600 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, July 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $43.68, for a total transaction of $26,208.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 42,202 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,843,383.36. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. In related news, Director Kathryn D. Sullivan sold 600 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, July 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $43.68, for a total transaction of $26,208.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 42,202 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,843,383.36. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, SVP Clay R. Ellis sold 9,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $48.83, for a total value of $439,470.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 49,832 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,433,296.56. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 19,440 shares of company stock worth $927,956. Company insiders own 0.55% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have weighed in on the company. Stifel Nicolaus assumed coverage on International Paper in a research note on Tuesday, July 9th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $48.70 price target for the company. Argus upgraded International Paper from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $52.00 price target for the company in a research note on Wednesday, August 14th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on International Paper from $43.00 to $45.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 25th. Royal Bank of Canada upped their price target on International Paper from $52.00 to $56.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 25th. Finally, Seaport Res Ptn upgraded International Paper from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, June 28th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $50.21.

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.