$IP

Wells Fargo maintained an Overweight rating for International Paper (IP) but lowered its price target from $46.00 to $42.00. The stock is undervalued by 19.6% according to GF Value™, with a GF Score™ of 67/100. Insider selling totaled $1,156,260 over the past three months. The company's P/S ratio is 0.86, lower than its historical median.

Citigroup maintained a 'Buy' rating for International Paper (IP) but lowered its price target from $48.00 to $47.00. IP is considered 19.5% undervalued with a GF Value of $39.66. The company has a GF Score of 67/100, indicating moderate financial health. Insiders have sold $1.16M in shares over the past three months. IP operates in packaging and pulp products with a market cap of $16.9B.

Verizon, LyondellBasell, Dow, Hormel Foods, and International Paper have reduced capital spending to maintain or increase dividends. Verizon cut capex from $26.74B to $17.011B, while LyondellBasell and Dow slashed dividends and growth projects. Hormel and International Paper face earnings and operational challenges. All companies face risks if their strategies don't sustain dividends.

Packaging Corporation of America (PKG) reported $2.49B revenue, up 14.7% YoY, missing EPS estimates. Crown Holdings (CCK) reported $3.67B revenue, up 16.5%, beating expectations. Silgan Holdings (SLGN) reported $1.64B revenue, up 6.8%, also beating estimates. PKG stock is up 4%, CCK down 6.2%, and SLGN down 23.8% since earnings.

International Paper (IP) will split into two companies, requiring its $0.4625 quarterly dividend to be reallocated. No policy or allocation has been disclosed. IP's free cash flow turned negative $159 million in 2025, and its EMEA division posted a $51 million Q1 2026 operating loss, raising uncertainty about the post-split dividend. The split follows competitive pressure from Smurfit Westrock (SW).

S&P futures rose as oil prices retreated ahead of U.S. inflation data. Economists expect August CPI to rise +0.4% m/m, with core CPI at +0.2% m/m. Oracle (ORCL) jumped +6% after reporting stronger-than-expected cloud revenue. ACV Auctions (ACVA) surged +44% following a $1.9B acquisition deal. Adobe (ADBE) fell -3% on soft revenue guidance. U.K. GDP grew +0.4% m/m in July, exceeding expectations. Asian markets closed lower, with China's Shanghai Composite down -1.18% and Japan's Nikkei 225 down -

Packaging Corporation of America (PCA) reported Q2 revenue of $2.49B, up 14.7% YoY, but missed EPS estimates. International Paper (IP) reported $6.00B revenue, down 11.3% YoY, missing expectations. Silgan Holdings (SLGN) reported $1.64B revenue, up 6.8% YoY, beating estimates. PCA and SLGN stocks are up 1.9% and down 19.7% since reporting, respectively. IP stock is down 18.1% since reporting.

Major indices closed lower Thursday, with the Russell 2000 down 1.04%. Brent Crude surged 7.2% to $108.60 due to U.S.-Iran tensions. Morgan Stanley downgraded Novo Nordisk (NVO) to Underweight, while RBC initiated Dell (DELL) with an Outperform rating and $640 target. Analysts also made calls on Atmos Energy (ATO), Celanese (CE), Check Point (CHKP), Chewy (CHWY), Fortinet (FTNT), Global Payments (GPN), HP (HPQ), and Shopify (SHOP).

Analysts initiated or updated coverage on several companies. Piper Sandler initiated Q2 Holdings as overweight, citing its growth potential. Bernstein initiated Shopify as outperform, highlighting its AI positioning. RBC initiated Dell as outperform with a $640 price target, citing AI infrastructure demand. UBS initiated Korsana Biosciences as buy with a $55 price target. Other notable mentions include Nvidia, SpaceX, Tesla, Palantir, and Oracle.

Kommersant reports Russian authorities are reviewing foreign-company exit deals after lawsuits seeking extra payments. Prosecutors demand 414.53 million rubles from GS Investments, which bought Amcor’s Russian assets for 370 million euros in late 2022. A separate suit seeks 1.81 billion rubles from Ilim Global Timber Rus over its 2023 purchase of International Paper’s stake.