International Paper Rises as Investors Weigh Packaging Pricing Strength and Restructuring Steps

International Paper (IP) is up 4.8% today. Here is some analysis on what might have caused this price movement.

Analysis: The move appears tied to improving sentiment around containerboard pricing, recent optimization actions in North America, and a still-constructive analyst backdrop despite a downgrade last week. There does not appear to be a single fresh company announcement today, so part of the gain may also reflect a rebound as investors focus on margin recovery potential ahead of earnings.

Details:

International Paper said in late June that it is optimizing its North American packaging network, a step aimed at concentrating investment on higher-value operations and improving service.

The company also temporarily suspended operations at its Pine Hill, Alabama mill in early July after damage from a weather event, which could tighten near-term supply in parts of the containerboard market.

Industry pricing conditions have improved, with June containerboard increases fully showing up in pricing data, a sign that supply-demand conditions may be firmer than they had been for several years.

Recent analyst actions were mixed, but several firms lifted their price targets in July, suggesting that many on Wall Street still see upside even after Bank of America turned more cautious.

Sources:

International Paper, Packaging Dive, TipRanks

Disclaimer: This price movement analysis was generated with the help of AI. Please double-check the information provided for mistakes.

$IP Insider Trading Activity

$IP insiders have traded $IP stock on the open market 5 times in the past 6 months. Of those trades, 5 have been purchases and 0 have been sales.

Here’s a breakdown of recent trading of $IP stock by insiders over the last 6 months:

ANDREW K SILVERNAIL (Chief Executive Officer) purchased 50,000 shares for an estimated $1,998,965
CHRISTOPHER M CONNOR purchased 25,000 shares for an estimated $1,009,249
ANDERS GUSTAFSSON has made 2 purchases buying 26,092 shares for an estimated $1,000,036 and 0 sales.
SCOTT TOZIER purchased 10,000 shares for an estimated $313,009

To track insider transactions, check out Quiver Quantitative's insider trading dashboard. You can access data on insider stock transactions through the Quiver Quantitative API insider transaction endpoint.

$IP Hedge Fund Activity

We have seen 343 institutional investors add shares of $IP stock to their portfolio, and 383 decrease their positions in their most recent quarter.

Here are some of the largest recent moves:

CAPITAL INTERNATIONAL INVESTORS removed 26,741,652 shares (-42.2%) from their portfolio in Q1 2026, for an estimated $954,676,976
CAPITAL RESEARCH GLOBAL INVESTORS added 23,960,155 shares (+43.9%) to their portfolio in Q1 2026, for an estimated $855,377,533
PRICE T ROWE ASSOCIATES INC /MD/ removed 13,781,374 shares (-21.9%) from their portfolio in Q1 2026, for an estimated $491,995,051
CAPITAL WORLD INVESTORS removed 6,332,121 shares (-100.0%) from their portfolio in Q1 2026, for an estimated $226,056,719
DIAMOND HILL CAPITAL MANAGEMENT INC removed 5,453,523 shares (-100.0%) from their portfolio in Q1 2026, for an estimated $194,690,771
BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON CORP added 5,417,274 shares (+66.2%) to their portfolio in Q1 2026, for an estimated $193,396,681
FRANKLIN RESOURCES INC removed 3,456,223 shares (-23.3%) from their portfolio in Q1 2026, for an estimated $123,387,161

To track hedge funds' stock portfolios, check out Quiver Quantitative's institutional holdings dashboard. You can access data on hedge funds moves and 13F filings through the Quiver Quantitative API 13F endpoint.

$IP Congressional Stock Trading

Members of Congress have traded $IP stock 1 times in the past 6 months. Of those trades, 0 have been purchases and 1 have been sales.

Here’s a breakdown of recent trading of $IP stock by members of Congress over the last 6 months:

REPRESENTATIVE GILBERT RAY CISNEROS, JR. sold up to $15,000 on 04/14.

To track congressional stock trading, check out Quiver Quantitative's congressional trading dashboard. You can access data on congressional stock trades through the Quiver Quantitative API Congress trades endpoint.

$IP Analyst Ratings

Wall Street analysts have issued reports on $IP in the last several months. We have seen 1 firms issue buy ratings on the stock, and 0 firms issue sell ratings.

Here are some recent analyst ratings:

Citigroup issued a "Buy" rating on 02/02/2026

To track analyst ratings and price targets for $IP, check out Quiver Quantitative's $IP forecast page.

$IP Price Targets

Multiple analysts have issued price targets for $IP recently. We have seen 8 analysts offer price targets for $IP in the last 6 months, with a median target of $42.5.

Here are some recent targets:

Gabe Hajde from Wells Fargo set a target price of $42.0 on 07/09/2026
Detlef Winckelmann from JP Morgan set a target price of $51.0 on 07/09/2026
Anthony Pettinari from Citigroup set a target price of $43.0 on 07/09/2026
Anojja Shah from UBS set a target price of $32.0 on 05/04/2026
Matthew McKellar from RBC Capital set a target price of $45.0 on 05/01/2026
Mark Weintraub from Seaport Global set a target price of $39.0 on 05/01/2026
Michael Roxland from Truist Securities set a target price of $44.0 on 04/15/2026

This article is not financial advice. See Quiver Quantitative's disclaimers for more information. Note that there may be inaccuracies due to mistakes in ticker-mapping, and other anomalies.