INTERNATIONAL PAPER COMPANY vs KIMBERLY-CLARK CORPORATION, two Paper & Packaging stocks. A side-by-side on valuation, growth, margins, returns, and what each price is betting.
Where IP and KMB diverge most: on net margin, IP reads -13.8% and KMB reads 12.8%; on return on equity, IP reads -22.6% and KMB reads 110.7%. The rest of the comparable metrics sit closer together. On valuation, today's IP price has a different growth bar priced in than KMB (-1.8% implied for IP vs -3.3% for KMB); the higher figure is the steeper assumption to clear, not a better or worse stock. What KMB's price implies is a bet that sits within the historical range (whole-company basis). The bull and bear cases for each are in their full reports below.
| Metric | IP | KMB |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $40.81 | $109.26 |
| Market cap | $21.7B | $36.4B |
| Sector | Paper & Packaging | Paper & Packaging |
| Stage | Growth | Mature |
| Implied growth (priced in) | -1.8% | -3.3% |
| P/E | — | 17.1 |
| P/B | 1.47 | 19.02 |
| P/S | 0.89 | 2.20 |
| EV/EBITDA | 8.0 | 14.4 |
| Revenue growth | +43.9% | +0.2% |
| Gross margin | — | 36.9% |
| Operating margin | — | 18.1% |
| Net margin | -13.8% | 12.8% |
| Return on equity | -22.6% | 110.7% |
| Return on assets | -9.2% | 12.3% |
| Return on invested capital | — | 73.1% |
| FCF yield | 2.5% | 5.0% |
| Dividend yield | 4.5% | 4.6% |
| Debt / equity | 0.06 | 0.32 |
| Current ratio | 1.21 | 0.77 |
| Altman Z (solvency) | 6.90 | 7.80 |
| Piotroski F (quality) | 7 / 9 | 8 / 9 |
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The stronger value is highlighted per metric where one is strictly better on that single number; it is not an overall verdict on either company. For informational and research purposes only. Not investment advice. Not a recommendation to buy, sell, or hold any security. boothcheck is not a registered investment adviser. Past performance does not guarantee future results.