IP
International Paper Company Consumer Cyclical - Packaging & Containers Investor Relations →
International Paper Company (IP) closed at $46.58 as of 2026-02-02, trading 19.4% above its 200-week moving average of $39.01. The stock moved further from the line this week, up from 3.4% last week. With a 14-week RSI of 72, IP is in overbought territory.
Over the past 3296 weeks of data, IP has crossed below its 200-week moving average 56 times. On average, these episodes lasted 16 weeks. Historically, investors who bought IP at the start of these episodes saw an average one-year return of +15.8%.
With a market cap of $24.6 billion, IP is a large-cap stock. Free cash flow yield is currently negative, meaning the company is burning cash. Return on equity stands at -24.7%. The stock trades at 1.7x book value.
The company has been aggressively buying back shares, reducing its share count by 8.2% over the past three years.
Over the past 33.2 years, a hypothetical investment of $100 in IP would have grown to $450, compared to $2849 for the S&P 500. IP has returned 4.6% annualized vs 10.6% for the index, underperforming the broader market over this period.
In the past 12 months, corporate insiders have made 2 open-market purchases totaling $3,008,215.
Free cash flow has been declining at a -20% compound annual rate. A deteriorating cash flow trend warrants extra scrutiny — the stock may be cheap for a reason.
Growth of $100: IP vs S&P 500
Monthly data normalized to $100 at start. Vertical dashed lines mark 200-week MA touches.
What Happens After IP Crosses Below the Line?
Across 34 historical episodes, buying IP when it crossed below its 200-week moving average produced an average return of +9.2% after 12 months (median +18.0%), compared to +10.7% for the S&P 500 over the same periods. 69% of those episodes were profitable after one year. After 24 months, the average return was +16.3% vs +23.9% for the index.
Each line shows $100 invested at the moment IP crossed below its 200-week MA. Bold blue = stock average. Gray dashed = S&P 500 average over same periods.
Historical Touches
IP has crossed below its 200-week MA 56 times with an average 1-year return of +15.8% after recovery.
| Crossed Below | Recovered | Weeks | Max Depth | 1-Year Return | Return Since Touch |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 1962 | Jan 1963 | 6 | 6.9% | +21.7% | +6905.8% |
| Feb 1963 | Mar 1963 | 4 | 5.6% | +18.7% | +6973.5% |
| Jul 1963 | Jul 1963 | 3 | 0.9% | +16.9% | +6458.3% |
| Jul 1965 | Aug 1965 | 2 | 0.5% | -1.5% | +5867.8% |
| Nov 1965 | Dec 1965 | 1 | 0.7% | -11.1% | +5867.3% |
| May 1966 | Apr 1967 | 50 | 16.0% | +11.0% | +5764.5% |
| Aug 1967 | Dec 1967 | 18 | 12.5% | +23.6% | +5753.4% |
| Feb 1968 | Apr 1968 | 8 | 5.5% | +42.2% | +5676.2% |
| May 1970 | May 1970 | 2 | 4.4% | +33.8% | +4743.6% |
| Jun 1970 | Jun 1970 | 1 | 2.6% | +21.4% | +4784.9% |
| Nov 1970 | Nov 1970 | 1 | 0.9% | -0.5% | +4502.5% |
| Jul 1971 | Aug 1971 | 1 | 1.1% | +16.3% | +4235.8% |
| Aug 1971 | Aug 1971 | 1 | 4.2% | +24.1% | +4356.7% |
| Sep 1971 | Sep 1971 | 1 | 1.8% | +13.8% | +4204.2% |
| Oct 1971 | Nov 1971 | 6 | 11.3% | +16.7% | +4221.0% |
| Jul 1973 | Jul 1973 | 1 | 0.2% | +48.5% | +3768.2% |
| Sep 1974 | Oct 1974 | 2 | 3.8% | +63.4% | +3331.3% |
| Nov 1974 | Jan 1975 | 10 | 14.0% | +51.4% | +3204.6% |
| Jun 1977 | Jul 1980 | 161 | 27.2% | -17.3% | +2118.5% |
| Oct 1981 | Oct 1981 | 1 | 0.4% | +38.3% | +2273.7% |
| Jan 1982 | Aug 1982 | 30 | 10.0% | +53.1% | +2319.1% |
| Sep 1990 | Oct 1990 | 1 | 3.1% | +62.3% | +607.0% |
| Oct 1993 | Oct 1993 | 2 | 4.1% | +31.0% | +381.1% |
| Apr 1994 | Apr 1994 | 1 | 0.9% | +24.2% | +360.8% |
| Aug 1998 | Sep 1998 | 2 | 5.0% | +33.7% | +225.1% |
| Dec 1998 | Dec 1998 | 1 | 2.2% | +36.6% | +209.9% |
| Jan 1999 | Feb 1999 | 2 | 5.7% | +24.7% | +207.5% |
| Feb 1999 | Mar 1999 | 4 | 3.6% | -1.6% | +199.7% |
| Feb 2000 | Dec 2001 | 98 | 37.1% | -11.9% | +189.5% |
| Jan 2002 | Jan 2002 | 1 | 5.3% | +2.3% | +206.8% |
| Jul 2002 | Jun 2003 | 46 | 14.3% | +2.7% | +206.4% |
| Jun 2003 | Jul 2003 | 3 | 2.6% | +23.4% | +212.1% |
| Feb 2005 | Feb 2005 | 1 | 1.1% | -9.6% | +191.5% |
| Mar 2005 | Apr 2006 | 56 | 25.6% | -4.7% | +189.5% |
| May 2006 | Aug 2006 | 15 | 9.4% | +15.7% | +202.2% |
| Sep 2006 | Oct 2006 | 3 | 2.4% | +5.6% | +203.1% |
| Oct 2006 | Jan 2007 | 15 | 8.5% | +6.8% | +204.8% |
| Aug 2007 | Aug 2007 | 3 | 4.7% | -11.4% | +199.3% |
| Nov 2007 | Nov 2009 | 108 | 85.1% | -55.0% | +193.2% |
| Jan 2010 | Mar 2010 | 6 | 10.2% | +16.2% | +274.4% |
| May 2010 | Jun 2010 | 6 | 10.9% | +40.2% | +294.5% |
| Jun 2010 | Oct 2010 | 17 | 15.2% | +38.9% | +302.4% |
| Sep 2015 | Oct 2015 | 3 | 6.4% | +27.1% | +89.1% |
| Nov 2015 | Apr 2016 | 23 | 18.6% | +18.6% | +90.2% |
| May 2016 | May 2016 | 4 | 4.7% | +32.0% | +77.4% |
| Jun 2016 | Jun 2016 | 2 | 2.2% | +39.8% | +76.1% |
| Oct 2018 | Jan 2019 | 15 | 15.3% | +2.0% | +59.7% |
| Feb 2019 | Feb 2019 | 1 | 0.2% | -0.8% | +46.6% |
| Mar 2019 | Mar 2019 | 2 | 2.6% | -22.9% | +46.5% |
| Apr 2019 | Apr 2019 | 1 | 2.6% | -24.8% | +50.1% |
| May 2019 | Nov 2019 | 26 | 16.8% | -21.1% | +46.1% |
| Dec 2019 | Oct 2020 | 41 | 34.9% | +17.2% | +43.9% |
| Sep 2022 | Mar 2024 | 79 | 22.7% | +2.4% | +53.5% |
| Apr 2024 | May 2024 | 4 | 11.8% | +31.0% | +34.4% |
| Oct 2025 | Nov 2025 | 4 | 5.1% | N/A | +22.0% |
| Dec 2025 | Dec 2025 | 2 | 1.6% | N/A | +20.9% |
| Average | 16 | — | +15.8% | — |
Not financial advice. This is an educational tool. Past performance does not guarantee future results. Do your own research before making investment decisions.
Data as of Friday close, 2026-02-02