RBC trims IP target, but still likes the stock

Same story, slightly smaller trophy

RBC took a pair of scissors to International Paper’s price target, slicing it to $48 from $54. But before you panic and start folding your portfolio into a paper airplane, the firm kept an Outperform rating on the stock.

That matters because a lower target isn’t the same thing as a full-blown love affair breakup. It’s more like saying, “We still want to go out, but maybe we’re splitting the check now.” Investors usually read that as a softer valuation call, not a bearish thesis.

Why you should care

International Paper has been under the microscope lately as analysts rework their numbers across the packaging space. The stock was around $36.66 in the real-time estimate shown, so RBC’s target still implies meaningful upside — just not the extra-frosting version from before.

• Target cut: $54 → $48
• Rating stayed positive: Outperform
• Investor takeaway: Wall Street is dialing back expectations, but it’s not throwing the whole cardboard box away

The bigger picture

This is one of those “less exuberance, still optimism” moves that can keep a stock supported, especially when the broader analyst crowd still leans constructive. Not exactly a champagne cork moment, but also not a red-flag siren.

Big picture: the market cares less about the poetic drama of a target cut and more about the direction of the underlying thesis. In this case, RBC is still basically saying the thesis lives — just with a slightly smaller upside bow on top.