Aull & Monroe Investment Management Corp Trims Stake in International Paper (NYSE:IP)

Aull & Monroe Investment Management Corp lowered its holdings in International Paper (NYSE:IP) by 10.0% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 4,509 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 500 shares during the quarter. Aull & Monroe Investment Management Corp’s holdings in International Paper were worth $243,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Inceptionr LLC raised its holdings in shares of International Paper by 76.0% in the 4th quarter. Inceptionr LLC now owns 15,684 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $844,000 after buying an additional 6,772 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of International Paper in the 4th quarter valued at $21,307,000. Arizona State Retirement System raised its holdings in shares of International Paper by 1.4% in the 4th quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 95,851 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $5,159,000 after buying an additional 1,316 shares during the period. Proficio Capital Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of International Paper in the 4th quarter valued at $9,063,000. Finally, SPC Financial Inc. raised its holdings in shares of International Paper by 1.4% in the 4th quarter. SPC Financial Inc. now owns 14,100 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $759,000 after buying an additional 200 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.95% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms recently commented on IP. Citigroup began coverage on International Paper in a research note on Wednesday. They set a “buy” rating and a $60.00 target price for the company. BNP Paribas cut International Paper from a “neutral” rating to an “underperform” rating and set a $48.20 target price for the company. in a research note on Wednesday, November 13th. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $64.00 price objective on shares of International Paper in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Bank of America assumed coverage on International Paper in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. They set a “neutral” rating for the company. Finally, Truist Financial reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $64.00 price objective (down from $65.00) on shares of International Paper in a research report on Friday, January 31st. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating, five have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $54.86.

International Paper Stock Performance

Shares of IP stock opened at $52.71 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $27.73 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.57, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.39 and a beta of 1.02. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $55.60 and a 200-day simple moving average of $53.20. International Paper has a 12-month low of $33.16 and a 12-month high of $60.36. The company has a current ratio of 1.49, a quick ratio of 1.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66.

International Paper (NYSE:IP) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The basic materials company reported ($0.02) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.03 by ($0.05). International Paper had a return on equity of 4.75% and a net margin of 2.99%. On average, equities analysts forecast that International Paper will post 2.77 EPS for the current year.

International Paper Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Investors of record on Monday, February 24th will be issued a $0.4625 dividend. This represents a $1.85 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.51%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, February 24th. International Paper’s dividend payout ratio is currently 117.83%.

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.