Back to top

Image: Bigstock

International Paper (IP) Gains But Lags Market: What You Should Know

Read MoreHide Full Article

International Paper (IP - Free Report) closed at $45.46 in the latest trading session, marking a +0.18% move from the prior day. This move lagged the S&P 500's daily gain of 1.09%. Meanwhile, the Dow gained 0.97%, and the Nasdaq, a tech-heavy index, added 2.01%.

Prior to today's trading, shares of the global paper and packaging company had lost 9.78% over the past month. This has was narrower than the Basic Materials sector's loss of 10.17% and lagged the S&P 500's loss of 7.81% in that time.

Investors will be hoping for strength from IP as it approaches its next earnings release, which is expected to be February 7, 2019. The company is expected to report EPS of $1.65, up 29.92% from the prior-year quarter. Our most recent consensus estimate is calling for quarterly revenue of $5.87 billion, up 2.83% from the year-ago period.

IP's full-year Zacks Consensus Estimates are calling for earnings of $5.34 per share and revenue of $23.21 billion. These results would represent year-over-year changes of +53.01% and +1.34%, respectively.

It is also important to note the recent changes to analyst estimates for IP. Recent revisions tend to reflect the latest near-term business trends. With this in mind, we can consider positive estimate revisions a sign of optimism about the company's business outlook.

Based on our research, we believe these estimate revisions are directly related to near-team stock moves. We developed the Zacks Rank to capitalize on this phenomenon. Our system takes these estimate changes into account and delivers a clear, actionable rating model.

The Zacks Rank system, which ranges from #1 (Strong Buy) to #5 (Strong Sell), has an impressive outside-audited track record of outperformance, with #1 stocks generating an average annual return of +25% since 1988. The Zacks Consensus EPS estimate has moved 2.42% higher within the past month. IP is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).

Looking at its valuation, IP is holding a Forward P/E ratio of 8.5. This represents a discount compared to its industry's average Forward P/E of 10.86.

It is also worth noting that IP currently has a PEG ratio of 0.89. This popular metric is similar to the widely-known P/E ratio, with the difference being that the PEG ratio also takes into account the company's expected earnings growth rate. Paper and Related Products stocks are, on average, holding a PEG ratio of 1.16 based on yesterday's closing prices.

The Paper and Related Products industry is part of the Basic Materials sector. This group has a Zacks Industry Rank of 37, putting it in the top 15% of all 250+ industries.

The Zacks Industry Rank gauges the strength of our industry groups by measuring the average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks within the groups. Our research shows that the top 50% rated industries outperform the bottom half by a factor of 2 to 1.

You can find more information on all of these metrics, and much more, on Zacks.com.


See More Zacks Research for These Tickers


Normally $25 each - click below to receive one report FREE:


International Paper Company (IP) - free report >>

Published in