IP Earnings Predictions — 2026-07-30

Ticker Report or Guide KPI Prediction Answer Confidence
IP Report Adj. EBITDA (continuing ops) IN-LINE pred ~$555M vs. cons ~$545M MEDIUM
IP Report Adj. operating EPS IN-LINE pred ~$0.08 vs. cons ~$0.07 LOW
IP Report NA box shipments YoY/day BEAT pred ~+3% vs. cons ~+1% MEDIUM
IP Guide FY2026 enterprise adj. EBITDA UNCHANGED guide ~$3.35B (reaffirm $3.20-3.50B) vs. cons ~$3.35B (FY2026) MEDIUM
IP Guide Sept 1 containerboard price increase (not in guide) BETTER guide ~+$80/ton vs. cons ~$0/ton embedded (2H26/2027 upside) MEDIUM
IP Guide 2H26 NA EBITDA step-up credibility UNCHANGED guide ~+$650M 2H step-up vs. cons ~+$600M (2H26) LOW
IP Guide EMEA separation timeline UNKNOWN guide ~12-15 months vs. prior ~12-15 months (2027 close) LOW
IP Guide FY2026 free cash flow UNCHANGED guide ~$300-500M vs. cons ~$400M (FY2026) LOW
IP Return Day-1 residual (stock − beta × S&P 500) -2.5% MEDIUM
IP Return 5-day cumulative residual -4.0% (FADE) Stock front-ran the print with a ~17% three-day rally and a JPM upgrade to $61, so the improved pricing story (Sept $80/ton, PKG $140/ton) and 2H ramp are already largely priced in. Q2 is a designed trough (near-breakeven EPS, doubled outages, Riverdale, EMEA margin lag), and the Sept increase is not yet in guidance, so a reaffirm-only FY framework offers little fresh upside. Out-period math is neutral-to-slightly-up (pricing supports 2H/2027 estimates) but not enough to sustain the euphoria; profit-taking and skepticism on 2H hockey-stick/80-20 cost-out credibility drive a fade after an in-line-to-soft trailing quarter. LOW