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International Paper Rises on Potential Sale Interest in European Packaging Business

Investivoq PriceTracker

International Paper Company (IP) is up 7.6% today. Here is some analysis on what might have caused this price movement.

Analysis: The move appears tied to fresh takeover interest in International Paper’s European packaging operations, which investors may see as a faster and cleaner value-creation path than a stand-alone separation. The stock likely also benefited from renewed attention on the company’s broader restructuring plan for its Europe, Middle East and Africa business.

Details:

  • A report published Thursday said two private equity firms are separately exploring multibillion-dollar bids for International Paper’s European packaging business, the unit built around the former DS Smith assets.
  • Investors appear to be treating a possible sale as a potential value unlock because International Paper had already planned to separate that EMEA packaging business into an independent public company.
  • International Paper previously said the split would create two focused packaging companies, with the North American business remaining under International Paper and the EMEA assets standing on their own.
  • The company’s investor materials now frame the EMEA business as DS Smith ahead of a planned separation, which may have made any outside interest in the asset more meaningful to the market.

    • Sources:

    International Paper, Financial Times, Bloomberg Law

    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 Insider Trades

    $IP insiders have traded $IP stock on the open market 2 times in the past 6 months. Of those trades, 1 have been purchases and 1 have been sales.

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

    • WILLIAM THOMAS HAMIC (Exec. VP & President) sold 24,500 shares for an estimated $1,009,397
    • SCOTT TOZIER purchased 10,000 shares for an estimated $313,009

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

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    $IP Hedge Fund Activity

    We have seen 416 institutional investors add shares of $IP stock to their portfolio, and 377 decrease their positions in their most recent quarter.

    Here are some of the largest recent moves:

    • CAPITAL INTERNATIONAL INVESTORS removed 17,109,071 shares (-46.7%) from their portfolio in Q2 2026, for an estimated $651,855,605
    • AQR CAPITAL MANAGEMENT LLC added 7,648,972 shares (+619.0%) to their portfolio in Q2 2026, for an estimated $291,425,833
    • FRANKLIN RESOURCES INC removed 5,812,309 shares (-51.1%) from their portfolio in Q2 2026, for an estimated $221,448,972
    • INVESCO LTD. added 5,053,669 shares (+40.5%) to their portfolio in Q2 2026, for an estimated $192,544,788
    • BLACKROCK, INC. added 4,715,694 shares (+10.2%) to their portfolio in Q2 2026, for an estimated $179,667,941
    • BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON CORP added 4,495,757 shares (+33.1%) to their portfolio in Q2 2026, for an estimated $171,288,341
    • GOLDMAN SACHS GROUP INC added 4,302,309 shares (+60.9%) to their portfolio in Q2 2026, for an estimated $163,917,972

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

    $IP Price Targets

    Multiple analysts have issued price targets for $IP recently. We have seen 6 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

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