IP Earnings & Sales Miss Estimates in Q3 on Lower Volumes

Core Insights - International Paper Company (IP) reported a third-quarter 2025 adjusted loss of $0.43 per share, missing the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $0.53 earnings per share, impacted by $675 million in accelerated depreciation due to mill closures and strategic actions [1][11] - Net sales reached $6.22 billion, a 56.4% increase year-over-year, primarily driven by the acquisition of DS Smith, but fell short of the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $6.89 billion [2][11] - Gross profit rose 76.1% year-over-year to $1.94 billion, with a gross margin of 31.1%, up from 27.6% in the previous year [3] Financial Performance - Cost of sales was $4.29 billion, up 48.9% from $2.88 billion in the prior-year quarter [3] - Selling and administrative costs increased by 4.2% to $493 million from $473 million in the previous year [4] - Adjusted operating loss for the quarter was $224 million, compared to an adjusted operating profit of $113 million in Q3 2024 [4] Segment Performance - Packaging Solutions North America reported sales of $3.9 billion, a 7.1% increase year-over-year, but faced an operating loss of $166 million compared to a profit of $190 million in the prior-year quarter [7] - Packaging Solutions EMEA saw sales rise to $2.31 billion from $0.32 billion in the previous year, but reported an operating loss of $58 million, down from a profit of $7 million in the prior-year quarter [8] Cash and Debt Position - Cash and temporary investments totaled approximately $1 billion at the end of Q3, down from $1.06 billion at the end of 2024 [9] - Long-term debt increased to $8.99 billion from $5.36 billion at the end of 2024 [9] - Cash flow from operating activities was $0.79 billion in the first nine months of 2025, compared to $1.28 billion in the same period of 2024 [9] Stock Performance - The company's shares have declined by 6.5% over the past year, while the industry has seen a decline of 10.2% [12]