Stock fact sheet · data as of
International Paper Company (IP): fair value, margin of safety and Wheel Score
Ticker symbol IP · Basic Materials · Paper, Lumber & Forest Products · United States · Speculative Income
Is IP undervalued?
International Paper Company (IP) closed at 35.65 on 5 Nov 2026, 60% above the GLS average fair value of 22.28. 3 of the 3 models that produced a number value the shares below the current price. A gap this wide usually means the market is paying for growth or a story the trailing numbers do not show yet; the models work from filed results, not forecasts, so they are conservative by design.
The average is built from just 3 models (DCF, 10 Cap, DDM) - the rest returned nothing because an input they need (dividends, free cash flow, book value) is zero or negative - so treat it with more caution than usual.
The nightly engine files IP under Speculative - it is losing money or its Piotroski health score is 3 or lower - which caps its Wheel Score at 45 and keeps it out of the Sunday Scan. It also carries the Income tag (Income = a dividend yield of 4% or more).
Nine valuation models for IP
Each model turns the latest filed numbers into a value per share; the GLS fair value is the simple average of the ones that produce a positive number. The last two rows are shown for reference and never enter the average. The Quote page lets you switch any model off and add your own margin of safety.
| Model | Value | vs price | What it measures |
|---|---|---|---|
| DCF | 25.52 | -28% | Present value of the projected free cash flows, discounted at the cost of capital |
| Graham Number | - | - | The most a defensive investor pays for the earnings and book value per share; no value tonight |
| Graham Growth | - | - | Graham's growth formula: EPS × (8.5 + 2 × growth), adjusted for bond yields; no value tonight |
| Lynch | - | - | EPS × the earnings growth rate (PEG of 1), growth capped at 25%; no value tonight |
| GLS Growth | - | - | EPS compounded ten years at the blended growth rate, discounted back at 15% a year; no value tonight |
| 10 Cap | 14.09 | -60% | Owner's earnings (operating cash flow less maintenance capex) capitalised at 10% |
| Payback Time | - | - | Eight years of compounded free cash flow: the price at which the business pays for itself; no value tonight |
| DDM | 27.22 | -24% | Dividend discount model: next year's dividend ÷ (10% − 3% growth); needs a dividend |
| EPV | - | - | Earnings power value: current EPS capitalised at 9% with no growth; no value tonight |
| Zombie (liquidation) | -24.61 | -169% | Current assets less all liabilities, per share: the balance-sheet floor. Not in the average |
| Wall St target | 47.00 | +32% | Analysts' average 12-month price target. Not in the average |
Quality and financial health
International Paper Company scores 5 of 9 on the Piotroski F-score: a middling result that falls one point short of the "Piotroski 6 or more" Wheel Trade Filter. Some of the nine tests on profitability, leverage and efficiency are failed, so the accounts are worth a look before selling a put on the name. A GLS Moat score of 2.8/10 is a weak reading: the accounts do not show returns and margins that competitors have been unable to wear down, so the Moat part of the Wheel Score contributes little.
Returns on capital are thin or negative - ROIC -13.7%, ROE -23.7%, ROA -9.3% - with debt at 0.73 times equity and a free-cash-flow yield of 0.4%.
The dividend yield is high at 5.19% (payout ratio -28%). A yield this size is often the market's way of pricing a risk to the payout, so the health score and cash flow matter more than usual. Revenue comes mainly from Packaging Solutions North America 63%, Packaging Solutions EMEA 26%, Global Cellulose Fibers 11% (quarter Q1 FY2025).
Institutional ownership scores 10/10, insider activity 6/10 and Congressional trading 5/10 on the GLS smart-money scales.
| Piotroski F-score | 5 / 9 | ROIC | -13.7% |
|---|---|---|---|
| GLS Moat | 2.8 / 10 | ROE | -23.7% |
| Debt / equity | 0.73 | ROA | -9.3% |
| Free-cash-flow yield | 0.4% | Payout ratio | -28% |
| Institutions | 10 / 10 | Insiders · Congress | 6 · 5 / 10 |
Wheel Score 36: Weak
With a Wheel Score of 36 International Paper Company sits in the Weak band. It fails filter 2, a real business, not a gamble - speculative (a loss, or a weak Piotroski score); and filter 3, below fair value - trades 60% above our fair value; and filter 4, financially healthy - Piotroski 5/9 (under 6); and filter 5, can repay its debt - 5.5 years to repay its debt (over 3); Value (weak) is its weakest part.
Implied volatility is 41% on the near-the-money contracts 20-60 days out - inside the 35-60% sweet spot the Wheel Score rewards most: enough premium to be worth selling, not so much that the risk is unpaid. Chain open interest is 46,804 contracts across all expiries - enough for the wheel at normal size.
Volume runs at 8.9M shares a day on a market cap of $18.9B, with a beta of 0.94; the Stability part of the Wheel Score rates that good.
| Filter | Wheel Trade Filter | Result | Detail |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Options that actually trade | Passes | Listed options with 1,000+ contracts of open interest and 100+ traded a day |
| 2 | A real business, not a gamble | Fails | speculative (a loss, or a weak Piotroski score) |
| 3 | Below fair value | Fails | trades 60% above our fair value |
| 4 | Financially healthy | Fails | Piotroski 5/9 (under 6) |
| 5 | Can repay its debt | Fails | 5.5 years to repay its debt (over 3) |
| 6 | No serious red flags | Passes | Red Flags score 60 or more out of 100 (earnings, margins, debt, analysts, filings and price checked the same way for every stock) |
| 7 | A premium worth selling | Passes | Implied volatility 25-80% (enough premium, not a lottery ticket) |
| 8 | Big enough | Passes | Market cap $1 billion or more |
| 9 | Not a penny stock | Passes | Share price $5 or more |
| How it ranks | Rating | From | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Value | Weak | 60% above fair value | |
| Premium | Strong | implied volatility 41% | |
| Moat | Weak | moat 2.8/10 | |
| Health | Fair | Piotroski 5/9 | |
| Red Flags | Weak | Red Flags score 67/100 | |
| Option trading | Strong | 6,807 contracts a day, 46,804 open interest | |
| Stability | Good | beta 0.94, $18.9B company |
The Wheel Score ranks ~7,400 US stocks for selling cash-secured puts and covered calls: a stock must pass all 9 Wheel Trade Filters to score 70, and the score then ranks the ones that pass; the Sunday Scan is the top 10. It is updated nightly and is not a recommendation. How the Wheel Score works · the walkthrough lesson shows how it fits into a trade, start to finish.
Upcoming events
No upcoming earnings date is recorded for IP in the nightly calendar. The shares go ex-dividend on 16 Nov 2026 (0.4625 per share), so a covered call sold before then carries a small early-assignment risk around that date.
No analyst upgrades or downgrades were recorded in the last 30 days.
Earnings, dividend, IPO, split and economic calendars for the whole market, filterable to your watchlists.
Similar stocks in Paper, Lumber & Forest Products
The 12 companies below are the closest to International Paper Company by market cap within the Paper, Lumber & Forest Products industry, each with its own fact sheet; the Compare page puts up to eight of them side by side.
| Stock | Close | Fair value | MoS | Wheel | Mkt cap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| INPAP International Paper Company PFD $4 | 72.00 | 26.37 | -173% | 15No options | $24.0B |
| SUZ Suzano S.A. | 9.56 | 20.78 | +54% | 48Weak | $11.8B |
| LPX Louisiana-Pacific Corporation | 78.82 | 23.54 | -235% | 32Weak | $5.5B |
| WFG West Fraser Timber Co. Ltd. | 69.74 | 39.04 | -79% | 26Weak | $5.3B |
| UFPI UFP Industries, Inc. | 86.31 | 73.00 | -18% | 33Weak | $4.8B |
| BCC Boise Cascade Company | 77.98 | 84.15 | +7% | 71Good | $2.7B |
| SLVM Sylvamo Corp | 33.60 | 71.59 | +53% | 44Weak | $1.3B |
| CLW Clearwater Paper Corporation | 14.05 | 22.61 | +38% | 43Weak | $227M |
| KEWL Keweenaw Land Association, Limited | 69.00 | 0.7775 | -8774% | 15No options | $78M |
| MERC Mercer International Inc. | 0.2500 | 2.20 | +89% | 28Weak | $17M |
| JCTC Jewett-Cameron Trading Company Ltd. | 2.87 | 6.64 | +57% | 31No options | $10M |
| ITP IT Tech Packaging, Inc. | 0.1260 | 5.82 | +98% | 29Weak | $2M |
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A free GLS Equity account gets you nightly fair value and the Wheel Score on ~7,400 US stocks, a watchlist, the scanner preview and the Sunday Scan - the top 10 stocks that pass all 9 Wheel Trade Filters, emailed every week. Pro adds the full put and call scanners, unlimited watchlists with alerts and the trade journal.
Start free See the Sunday ScanQuestions about IP
Is IP undervalued right now?
No: at 35.65 the stock trades 60% above the GLS average fair value of 22.28 (data as of 5 Nov 2026), well beyond what trailing earnings, cash flow and book value support.
What is the Wheel Score of IP and what does it mean?
IP scores 36 out of 100 (Weak) - it fails Wheel Trade Filters 2, 3, 4, 5. The Wheel Score ranks stocks for the wheel strategy - selling cash-secured puts, then covered calls if assigned - in two parts: the 9 pass/fail Wheel Trade Filters (busy options, a real business, below fair value, Piotroski 6 or more, debt it can repay, a Red Flags score of 60 or more, implied volatility of 25-80%, a $1 billion company, $5 a share) and a ranking of how strongly a stock passes on value, premium, moat, health, red flags, option trading and stability. A stock that fails any filter stays under 70; 70-84 is Good, 85 and above is Prime. The Sunday Scan is the top 10 that pass, sorted by Wheel Score.
What is the GLS fair value for IP?
22.28 per share as of 5 Nov 2026 - the simple average of the 3 valuation models (out of nine: DCF, Graham Number, Graham Growth, Lynch, GLS Growth, 10 Cap, Payback Time, DDM and EPV) that produced a positive value. The models run every night on the latest filings; the Quote page lets you switch any of them off and add a margin of safety of your own.
When does International Paper Company report earnings next?
No upcoming earnings date is recorded for IP in our calendar as of 5 Nov 2026; the Calendars page is refreshed every morning.
Does IP have listed options, and how liquid are they?
Yes. The nightly snapshot found 338 listed contracts with 46,804 open interest across all expiries and implied volatility of 41% on the near-the-money contracts. The Options scanner lists the cash-secured put and covered call set-ups with premium and annualised yield worked out.