International Paper Company IP

Competitive advantage analysis · consumer-cyclical

Corporate Default
Overall moat score
26/100
Developing

Ranked against 25 peers in Packaging & Containers

About International Paper Company

International Paper Company produces and sells renewable fiber-based packaging and pulp products in North America, Latin America, Europe, and North Africa. It operates through two segments, Industrial Packaging and Global Cellulose Fibers. The company offers linerboard, medium, whitetop, recycled linerboard, recycled medium and saturating kraft; and pulp for a range of applications, such as diapers, towel and tissue products, feminine … Full IP analysis →

Key risks

  • ROIC Below WACC or Peers ROIC at 21.7th percentile suggests inefficient capital deployment.
  • Elevated Debt Risk Debt serviceability is weak (score 0.09), raising refinancing risk.

The dashed ring is the peer median. Defense scores are percentile ranks against peers, so 50 is roughly the typical company in this group.

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Pricing Power

Developing
28
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Signals, strengths and risks for Pricing Power

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Signals, strengths and risks for Cost Advantage

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Signals, strengths and risks for Customer Stickiness

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Signals, strengths and risks for Capital Efficiency

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Signals, strengths and risks for Resilience

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Signals, strengths and risks for Scale & Market Position

Where IP ranks in Packaging & Containers

International Paper Company ranks #20 of 26 scored companies in Packaging & Containers by moat score — the top 77%. The widest moat in the group is Reynolds Consumer Products Inc. (REYN) at 83/100.

# Company Moat score Rating
16 TriMas Corporation TRS 46/100 Developing
17 Ardagh Metal Packaging S.A. AMBP 42/100 Developing
18 Smurfit WestRock plc SW 35/100 Developing
19 Ranpak Holdings Corp PACK 30/100 Developing
20 International Paper Company IP 26/100 Developing
21 Yunhong Green CTI Ltd. YHGJ 21/100 Weak
22 Millennium Group International MGIH 20/100 Weak
23 DSS, Inc. DSS 5/100 Weak
24 Berry Global Group, Inc. BERY 0/100 Weak

See every General Corporate company ranked by moat score →

How IP scores on the Corporate Default defenses

Pricing Power

Score 28 · 20% of the moat score

Pricing power is the ability to raise prices without losing volume.

Cost Advantage

Score 28 · 15% of the moat score

A cost advantage means delivering the same product for structurally less — better purchasing, denser distribution, a more automated process.

Customer Stickiness

Score 24 · 15% of the moat score

Stickiness is what makes revenue repeat without being re-won every year.

Capital Efficiency

Score 17 · 18% of the moat score

Capital efficiency asks what the company earns on the money tied up in the business.

Resilience

Score 25 · 17% of the moat score

Resilience is the capacity to get through a bad year on its own terms — enough liquidity, enough interest cover, and enough cash generation to avoid a rescue financing or a forced sale.

Scale & Market Position

Score 34 · 15% of the moat score

Scale matters only when it converts into economics.

How each Corporate Default defense is measured, in full →

Understanding IP's moat

What is International Paper Company's moat score?

International Paper Company (IP) scores 26 out of 100 on the StatsAlpha Moat Map, which rates its competitive advantage as developing. It ranks #20 of 26 scored companies in Packaging & Containers, the top 77%. The score is a weighted composite of 6 competitive defenses, each measured against industry peers of 25 companies in Packaging & Containers. Its strongest defense is Scale & Market Position (34/100) and its weakest is Capital Efficiency (17/100).

How does International Paper Company compare with other Packaging & Containers companies?

International Paper Company ranks #20 of 26 scored companies in Packaging & Containers by moat score. The widest moat in Packaging & Containers is Reynolds Consumer Products Inc. (REYN) at 83/100. The companies ranked closest are Ranpak Holdings Corp (PACK) at 30 just above it and Yunhong Green CTI Ltd. (YHGJ) at 21 just below it.

How is the moat score calculated?

Each company is scored with an industry-specific template — Corporate Default in this case, chosen because the defenses that matter to a bank are not the ones that matter to a software company. Every defense combines several financial signals, and each signal is measured as a percentile against a peer group of 25 companies in Packaging & Containers. The defenses are then weighted to produce the overall score out of 100.

Why is International Paper Company scored with the Corporate Default template?

Most public companies sell a product or a service at a margin, so the moat question is whether that margin survives contact with competitors. The Corporate template scores the six defenses that show up in a general operating company's financial signature: whether it can hold price, produce more cheaply than rivals, keep its customers, earn a return above its cost of capital, withstand a downturn, and turn size into economics.

Which competitive defenses are measured for International Paper Company?

The Corporate Default template measures 6 defenses, and IP scores: Pricing Power (28), Cost Advantage (28), Customer Stickiness (24), Capital Efficiency (17), Resilience (25), Scale & Market Position (34). Each is scored independently as a percentile against peers, so a company can be strong on one and weak on another — the overall score reflects how those defenses are weighted for this industry.

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