International Paper Company · IP · FY2024 Q4 · Calendar Q1 2025
International Paper advances transformation amid integration and execution risks
International Paper's earnings narrative supports a potential improvement case through productivity gains, integration, reliability, and new capacity, but the evidence remains execution-dependent. The supplied record does not include reported EPS or revenue actuals, so the operating thesis cannot be validated through a reported beat or miss here.
Earnings scorecard
Reported versus consensusMarket reaction
prior-close to event-session closeAsk FN2 about IP FY2024 Q4
Transcript, numbers and history already loadedFree account. Your question opens in FN2 with this report's transcript and numbers attached.
Transcript intelligence
What changed
The current analysis emphasized the near completion of DS Smith, a $1.2 billion cost-out target tied to a $4 billion EBITDA goal, expansion of lighthouse productivity initiatives, and significant Waterloo and West Monroe investment. Compared with the prior-quarter analysis, the focus shifted from planned integration and strategic review toward execution, productivity recovery, regulatory divestitures, and capacity build-out.
Guidance delta
Maintained; management expects sequential improvement, while UK competition rules limit the detail of its forecast.
Key takeaways
- DS Smith integration was nearing completion, pending regulatory divestitures.
- Management targeted $1.2 billion of cost savings and a $4 billion EBITDA goal.
- Lighthouse pilots delivered more than 20% productivity gains and were slated for expansion to 22 additional box plants in 2025.
- Waterloo and West Monroe investments add capacity but increase execution and capital-allocation demands.
Management priorities
- Complete DS Smith integration and required European divestitures.
- Scale the 80/20 lighthouse program across additional box plants.
- Improve mill reliability and recover the identified productivity shortfall.
- Advance the Waterloo plant and West Monroe bulk-plant projects while improving capital-investment execution.
Follow IP with an agent that reads every filing, transcript, and price print. Free to start.
Try FN2 freeEarnings History
Analyst 52W Price Targets
Latest persisted target per named analyst; persisted current price from FN2's market snapshot as of Oct 18, 2026. Not an FN2 forecast.
Firm-level rating actions
FMP grade actions identify the grading firm, not a named analyst.
| Firm | Rating | Prior rating | Action | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Truist Securities | Buy | Buy | Maintain | Oct 12, 2026 |
| Wells Fargo | Overweight | Overweight | Maintain | Oct 7, 2026 |
| UBS | Neutral | Neutral | Maintain | Oct 5, 2026 |
| Citigroup | Buy | Buy | Maintain | Oct 2, 2026 |
| Argus Research | Buy | Buy | Maintain | Sep 24, 2026 |
| JP Morgan | Overweight | Overweight | Maintain | Sep 23, 2026 |
| RBC Capital | Outperform | Outperform | Maintain | Jul 31, 2026 |
| Deutsche Bank | Buy | Hold | Upgrade | Jul 31, 2026 |
| Seaport Global | Buy | Neutral | Upgrade | May 1, 2026 |
| B of A Securities | Buy | Neutral | Upgrade | Aug 28, 2025 |
| Jefferies | Buy | Hold | Upgrade | May 23, 2024 |
| Keybanc | Underweight | Underweight | Maintain | Sep 30, 2022 |
| Exane BNP Paribas | Neutral | Outperform | Downgrade | Oct 19, 2021 |
| Stephens & Co. | Overweight | Equal Weight | Upgrade | Jun 28, 2021 |
| Morgan Stanley | Underweight | Underweight | Maintain | May 6, 2021 |
| BMO Capital | Outperform | Market Perform | Upgrade | Oct 12, 2020 |
| CFRA | Hold | Hold | Maintain | May 1, 2020 |
| Goldman Sachs | Sell | Neutral | Downgrade | Dec 10, 2019 |
| Bank of America | Neutral | Buy | Downgrade | Apr 16, 2019 |
| Barclays | Underweight | Underweight | Maintain | Apr 1, 2019 |
| Argus | Buy | Buy | Maintain | Oct 29, 2018 |
| Credit Suisse | Neutral | Neutral | Maintain | Oct 27, 2017 |
| DA Davidson | Buy | Neutral | Upgrade | Aug 14, 2017 |
| Macquarie | Underperform | Market Perform | Downgrade | Oct 18, 2016 |
| CLSA | Underperform | Underperform | Maintain | Sep 6, 2016 |
| Buckingham Research | Buy | Neutral | Upgrade | Aug 25, 2015 |
| Dundee | Buy | Buy | Maintain | Oct 20, 2014 |
| Longbow Research | Neutral | Buy | Downgrade | Apr 15, 2014 |
Named analyst price targets
Upside is calculated against the persisted current price $34.05. FMP does not supply a rating on these named-analyst rows.
| Firm | Analyst | 52W target | Price when posted | Upside | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UBS | Analyst unavailable | $35 | $31.97 | +2.8% | Oct 5, 2026 |
| Seaport Global | Analyst unavailable | $46 | $41.32 | +35.1% | Aug 12, 2026 |
| RBC Capital | Matthew McKellar | $52 | $41.25 | +52.7% | Jul 31, 2026 |
| UBS | Analyst unavailable | $47 | $42.29 | +38.0% | Jul 31, 2026 |
| Wells Fargo | Analyst unavailable | $46 | $43.15 | +35.1% | Jul 31, 2026 |
| Truist Financial | Michael Roxland | $49 | $43.15 | +43.9% | Jul 31, 2026 |
| Deutsche Bank | Hillary Cacanando | $50 | $43.15 | +46.8% | Jul 31, 2026 |
| Loop Capital Markets | Analyst unavailable | $61 | $42.41 | +79.1% | Jul 28, 2026 |
| Truist Financial | Michael Roxland | $46 | $37.36 | +35.1% | Jul 15, 2026 |
| Wells Fargo | Analyst unavailable | $42 | $36.67 | +23.3% | Jul 9, 2026 |
| Wells Fargo | Analyst unavailable | $39 | $31.76 | +14.5% | May 4, 2026 |
| RBC Capital | Matthew McKellar | $48 | $36.47 | +41.0% | Apr 16, 2026 |
| UBS | Analyst unavailable | $40 | $36.57 | +17.5% | Apr 10, 2026 |
| Truist Financial | Analyst unavailable | $60 | $39.53 | +76.2% | Mar 6, 2026 |
| Truist Financial | Michael Roxland | $48 | $42.61 | +41.0% | Feb 26, 2026 |
| UBS | Anojja Shah | $44 | $40.32 | +29.2% | Feb 2, 2026 |
| RBC Capital | Matthew McKellar | $54 | $39 | +58.6% | Jan 30, 2026 |
| Wells Fargo | Gabe Hajde | $40 | $39 | +17.5% | Jan 30, 2026 |
| UBS | Anojja Shah | $51 | $42.39 | +49.8% | Jan 12, 2026 |
| Truist Financial | Analyst unavailable | $50 | $40.52 | +46.8% | Jan 6, 2026 |
| RBC Capital | Matthew McKellar | $55 | $39.06 | +61.5% | Dec 18, 2025 |
| BNP Paribas | Analyst unavailable | $44 | $37.67 | +29.2% | Nov 24, 2025 |
| RBC Capital | Matthew McKellar | $57 | $38.63 | +67.4% | Oct 31, 2025 |
| Wells Fargo | Analyst unavailable | $36 | $38.63 | +5.7% | Oct 31, 2025 |
| Stifel Nicolaus | Analyst unavailable | $57.8 | $46.64 | +69.8% | Oct 17, 2025 |
| Truist Financial | Analyst unavailable | $53 | $46.08 | +55.7% | Oct 13, 2025 |
| Wells Fargo | Gabe Hajde | $44 | $45.88 | +29.2% | Oct 7, 2025 |
| UBS | Analyst unavailable | $55 | $44.96 | +61.5% | Oct 6, 2025 |
| Truist Financial | Analyst unavailable | $59 | $47.72 | +73.3% | May 28, 2025 |
| Seaport Global | Mark Weintraub | $60 | $44.27 | +76.2% | May 5, 2025 |
| Jefferies | Philip Ng | $66 | $55.77 | +93.8% | Nov 1, 2024 |
| Truist Financial | Michael Roxland | $57 | $48.08 | +67.4% | Oct 15, 2024 |
| Argus Research | David Coleman | $52 | $46.12 | +52.7% | Aug 14, 2024 |
| RBC Capital | Matthew McKellar | $56 | $45.59 | +64.5% | Jul 25, 2024 |
| Wells Fargo | Gabe Hajde | $45 | $46.28 | +32.2% | Jul 25, 2024 |
| Seaport Global | Mark Weintraub | $52 | $43.25 | +52.7% | Jun 28, 2024 |
| Truist Financial | Michael Roxland | $52 | $44.04 | +52.7% | May 30, 2024 |
| Wells Fargo | Gabe Hajde | $41 | $44.4 | +20.4% | May 30, 2024 |
| Jefferies | Philip Ng | $57 | $42.1 | +67.4% | May 23, 2024 |
| RBC Capital | Scott Heleniak | $43 | $35.8 | +26.3% | Feb 20, 2024 |
| Truist Financial | Michael Roxland | $43 | $34.34 | +26.3% | Sep 21, 2023 |
| Raymond James | Joseph Altobello | $70 | $34.49 | +105.6% | Aug 15, 2023 |
| RBC Capital | Matthew McKellar | $39 | $33.01 | +14.5% | Apr 28, 2023 |
| Wells Fargo | Gabe Hajde | $35 | $32.87 | +2.8% | Oct 6, 2022 |
| Truist Financial | Analyst unavailable | $40 | $31.7 | +17.5% | Sep 29, 2022 |
| Wells Fargo | Gabe Hajde | $47 | $41.92 | +38.0% | Jul 18, 2022 |
| Wells Fargo | Analyst unavailable | $58 | $47.95 | +70.3% | Apr 29, 2022 |
| Wells Fargo | Gabe Hajde | $56 | $47.18 | +64.5% | Jan 28, 2022 |
| UBS | Cleveland Rueckert | $43 | $47.83 | +26.3% | Nov 23, 2021 |
| BNP Paribas | Justin Jordan | $60 | $51.07 | +76.2% | Oct 19, 2021 |
| Stephens | Mark Connelly | $80 | $55.91 | +134.9% | Jun 28, 2021 |
| Argus Research | David Coleman | $75 | $58.61 | +120.3% | Jun 11, 2021 |
Track every rating change on IP the moment it posts. Free to start.
Start freeCompany context
Snapshot as of publicationInternational Paper Company, established in 1898 and headquartered in Memphis, Tennessee, functions as a leading global packaging enterprise. Its extensive operational footprint spans the United States, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, the Pacific Rim, Asia, and various other regions across the Americas. The company's business activities are structured into two principal divisions: Industrial Packaging and Global Cellulose Fibers. The Industrial Packaging segment is dedicated to producing a diverse range of containerboards, which encompass linerboard, medium, whitetop, recycled linerboard, recycled medium, and saturating kraft.…
Historical context
All IP earningsBasic Materials peers this season
Latest reports in the same sector| Company | Quarter | EPS surprise | Market move | Headline |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AA Alcoa Corporation | FY2026 Q3 · Calendar Q4 2026 | +20.5% | +7.2% | Alcoa: Strong Q3 execution, with safety and transaction risks ahead |
Latest beats and misses
Who reports nextBeat on EPS
Get the IP recap when the next report posts
One email per quarter with the scorecard, the market reaction and what changed on the call. No account needed.
Sources
- Earnings call transcript and parsed analysis · 2026-05-11T10:29:34.698584+00:00
- FN2 earnings calendar · 2025-01-16T09:39:40.803536+00:00
- Polygon adjusted daily market bars · 2026-10-18T19:00:44.287416+00:00
- Financial Modeling Prep analyst price-target consensus and quote snapshot · 2026-10-18T19:00:44.284139+00:00
Methodology
Reported and consensus figures come from FN2's earnings event records. Market reaction and volume are calculated from daily adjusted bars around the event; abnormal move subtracts the SPY move over the same window.
Analyst target low, average, and high values are derived at request time from each named analyst's latest persisted FMP target. The current-price marker comes from FN2's persisted market snapshot. They are sell-side estimates, not an FN2 valuation or recommendation.
Transcript intelligence is a structured synthesis of the current and prior earnings-call analyses. Missing values stay missing and are never estimated.
By FN2 Research · Updated · As of 2026-10-18. For educational purposes only; not investment advice.