IP International Paper Company
$38.29
Cyclical & Capital-Intensive 80%
Normalized Earnings × Cycle Multiple
Strong · Conviction

Overvalued

Trading 51.2% above fair value

You pay $38.29
Bear $15.58
Fair $25.32
Bull $35.05
Bear $15.58 -59.3% $2.76 × 7x + net cash
Fair $25.32 -33.9% $2.76 × 10x + net cash
Bull $35.05 -8.5% $2.76 × 12x + net cash

Key Value Driver

Through-cycle normalized EPS ($2.76)

Implied Market Multiple 13.9x

Summary

Our base-case estimate uses Normalized Earnings × Cycle Multiple. We then blend that result with the average analyst price target of $47.50 from 29 analysts, using a 25% weight on analyst consensus. That produces an estimated intrinsic value of $25.32 per share.

Warnings

This company has a built-in lending arm whose debt is mixed in with the main business. We capped the debt adjustment to avoid overstating what the core business owes.
Price-to-book value of 3.7x is above the normal range for this type of business (0.7x-2.0x). The stock may already price in a strong cycle.
Wall Street's average price target is $47.50 (from 29 analysts). Our estimate is 62% below the consensus -- consider that gap carefully.

Key Risks

  • Standard 10-year DCF produces unreliable terminal values for cyclicals
  • 'Cheap' P/E at cycle peak is the most common value trap — normalize first
  • Captive finance subsidiaries have different risk profiles from manufacturing