IP Eyes Salt Lake City to Build New Sustainable Packaging Facility

International Paper IP has announced plans to explore the development of a new sustainable packaging facility in Salt Lake City, UT.  This initiative is part of IP’s broader strategy to expand its manufacturing footprint across the United States. If finalized, this new facility will mark International Paper’s foray into the Salt Lake City market. The facility will feature cutting-edge technology and equipment and help IP deliver innovative and sustainable packaging solutions to a growing customer base in the western United States. Further details, such as capital investment and facility size, will be shared at a later stage.Waterloo Plant Key to IP’s North American OperationsRecently, IP broke ground on a state-of-the-art sustainable packaging plant in Waterloo, IA, its most ambitious project to date. As its largest greenfield box plant, the Waterloo facility is expected to become a cornerstone of International Paper’s North American operations. The plant will mainly serve the protein segment, delivering high-quality, sustainable packaging solutions using cutting-edge technology and industry-leading safety practices. The facility is expected to begin operations in late 2026.International Paper Bets on Industry Tailwinds for GrowthInternational Paper completed the acquisition of DS Smith in January 2025. This move established a new global leader in sustainable packaging solutions, focusing on the North America and EMEA markets. The merger creates a stronger portfolio of sustainable packaging solutions and enhances offerings, innovation and geographic presence.  International Paper is well-positioned to capitalize on strong market fundamentals in both North America and EMEA. North America’s Total Addressable Market (TAM) is around $50 billion and EMEA’s TAM is around $40 billion. Both markets have an estimated long-term growth rate of 3-4%. The company expects to outperform market growth by riding on key industry trends, including the expansion of e-commerce, increasing demand for sustainable and recyclable packaging and the growing shift from plastic to paper-based alternatives. Additionally, rising demand for cost-effective, reliable fresh food packaging and innovative retail-ready packaging solutions is expected to support long-term growth.International Paper Stock’s Price PerformanceThe company’s shares have lost 12.1% in the past year compared with the industry’s 10.8% decline. Image Source: Zacks Investment ResearchIP’s Zacks RankInternational Paper currently carries a Zacks Rank #5 (Strong Sell).Stocks to ConsiderSome better-ranked stocks from the basic materials space are Carpenter Technology Corporation CRS, Newmont Corporation NEM and Agnico Eagle Mines AEM. Each of these stocks sport a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) at present. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here. Carpenter Technology has an average trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 11.10%. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the company’s 2025 earnings is pegged at $7.27 per share, indicating year-over-year growth of 53.4%. CRS shares gained 170.3% so far this year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for NEM’s current-year earnings is pegged at $3.92 per share, indicating a 12.64% year-over-year rise. NEM has an average trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 32.41%. NEM’s shares have gained 34.6% so far this year.Agnico Eagle Mines has an average trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 12.2%. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Agnico Eagle Mines’ 2025 earnings is pegged at $6.03 per share, indicating 42.6% year-over-year growth. Its shares gained 51.2% year to date.5 Stocks Set to DoubleEach was handpicked by a Zacks expert as the #1 favorite stock to gain +100% or more in 2024. While not all picks can be winners, previous recommendations have soared +143.0%, +175.9%, +498.3% and +673.0%.Most of the stocks in this report are flying under Wall Street radar, which provides a great opportunity to get in on the ground floor.Today, See These 5 Potential Home Runs >>Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report International Paper Company (IP): Free Stock Analysis Report Newmont Corporation (NEM): Free Stock Analysis Report Carpenter Technology Corporation (CRS): Free Stock Analysis Report Agnico Eagle Mines Limited (AEM): Free Stock Analysis ReportThis article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).Zacks Investment ResearchWeiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Zacks Weiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Zacks