IP vs. PKX: International Paper vs. POSCO Stock Comparison

November 11, 2026

How do International Paper (IP) and POSCO (PKX) stack up? This page sets them side by side across company profile, performance and risk, profitability, growth, financial strength, dividends, and valuation, with selected fundamentals also measured against each stock's industry-group peers.

Company Profile

International Paper (IP) and POSCO (PKX) both fall under the Materials industry group, but IP is classified in Containers & Packaging while PKX is classified in Metals & Mining.

International Paper (IP) trades as ordinary local shares, while POSCO (PKX) trades as an ADR — compare with FX exposure, depositary-program fees, and dividend-withholding-tax differences in mind.

Company profile comparison for International Paper (IP) and POSCO (PKX)
Profile Item	IP	PKX
Name	International Paper Co.	POSCO Holdings Inc. American Depositary Receipt
Country/Region	United States	South Korea
GICS Sector	Materials	Materials
GICS Industry Group	Materials	Materials
GICS Industry	Containers & Packaging	Metals & Mining
GICS Sub-Industry	Paper & Plastic Packaging Products & Materials	Steel
Market Capitalization	18.29 billion USD	14.79 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	NYSE	NYSE
Listing Date	January 2, 1962	October 14, 1994
Security Type	Common Stock	ADR

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

PKX

GSPC

International Paper (IP) vs. POSCO (PKX), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Growth of a $10,000 investment over the past five years. Adjusted for dividends and splits.

Trailing Returns

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Trailing total returns for International Paper (IP) and POSCO (PKX). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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Calendar-year total returns for International Paper (IP) and POSCO (PKX). Each bar is that year's total return, measured year-end to year-end.

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for International Paper (IP) and POSCO (PKX)
Metric	IP	PKX
Total Return (1Y)	-2.70%	-4.84%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	6.64%	-15.65%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	-2.14%	-1.81%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

PKX

GSPC

International Paper (IP) vs. POSCO (PKX), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Drawdown from the running peak over the past five years. Each line shows the decline from its prior peak; 0% marks a new high.

Return Distribution

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Distribution of monthly total returns for International Paper (IP) and POSCO (PKX). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for International Paper (IP) and POSCO (PKX)
Metric	IP	PKX
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	42.71%	46.00%
Beta (5Y)	0.96	1.71
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-48.61%	-68.71%
Avg. Volume (3M)	5.09M	216.95K

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

IP and PKX are plotted by 1-year volatility (risk) and 1-year return. The dashed Capital Allocation Line runs from the risk-free rate through the shared industry median.

Risk-Adjusted Metrics

Risk-adjusted metrics for International Paper (IP) and POSCO (PKX)
Metric	IP	PKX
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	-0.16	-0.20
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	-0.24	-0.30

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

International Paper (IP) reports a negative ROE of -22.30%; negative ROE can reflect losses or negative shareholders’ equity, so it is harder to read as capital efficiency. Meanwhile POSCO (PKX) reports 2.21%, ranking against industry peers normally.

IP

Materials industry group

-22.30%

Max: 52.88%
Q3: 19.49%
Median: 8.76%
Q1: -3.41%
IP: -22.30%
Min: -32.81%

PKX

Materials industry group

2.21%

Max: 52.88%
Q3: 19.49%
Median: 8.76%
PKX: 2.21%
Q1: -3.41%
Min: -32.81%

International Paper (IP) vs. POSCO (PKX): A comparison of their ROE against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

International Paper (IP) reports a negative net margin of -14.32%, usually indicating a net loss over the period. Meanwhile POSCO (PKX) reports 1.89%, ranking against industry peers normally.

IP

Materials industry group

-14.32%

Max: 38.66%
Q3: 15.98%
Median: 5.28%
Q1: 0.00%
IP: -14.32%
Min: -20.40%

PKX

Materials industry group

1.89%

Max: 38.66%
Q3: 15.98%
Median: 5.28%
PKX: 1.89%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: -20.40%

International Paper (IP) vs. POSCO (PKX): A comparison of their net margin against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Both International Paper (IP) at 5.89% and POSCO (PKX) at 4.26% run core operations about as efficiently as their industries’ norm — neither stands out on operating profitability.

IP

Materials industry group

5.89%

Max: 66.70%
Q3: 28.92%
Median: 12.56%
IP: 5.89%
Q1: 3.28%
Min: -14.07%

PKX

Materials industry group

4.26%

Max: 66.70%
Q3: 28.92%
Median: 12.56%
PKX: 4.26%
Q1: 3.28%
Min: -14.07%

International Paper (IP) vs. POSCO (PKX): A comparison of their operating margin against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for International Paper (IP) and POSCO (PKX)
Metric	IP	PKX
ROE (TTM)	-22.30%	2.21%
ROA (TTM)	1.60%	1.31%
Net Margin (TTM)	-14.32%	1.89%
Operating Margin (TTM)	5.89%	4.26%
Gross Margin (TTM)	29.78%	7.87%

Growth

Revenue Growth

International Paper (IP) at 49.25% sits in the top revenue growth quartile, while POSCO (PKX) at -6.09% is in the bottom quartile, showing a clear gap in revenue momentum.

International Paper (IP) vs. POSCO (PKX): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

POSCO (PKX) at -29.00% is around its peer norm for EPS growth, while International Paper (IP) at -542.68% falls below its industry range, a notably weak earnings reading.

International Paper (IP) vs. POSCO (PKX): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for International Paper (IP) and POSCO (PKX)
Metric	IP	PKX
Revenue Growth (YoY)	49.25%	-6.09%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	3.75%	-6.72%
EPS Growth (YoY)	-542.68%	-29.00%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	--	-39.42%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

POSCO (PKX) at 1.98 keeps current ratio within its industry’s typical mid-range, while International Paper (IP) at 0.99 runs in the tighter-liquidity quartile — a thinner cushion against current liabilities for IP.

IP

Materials industry group

0.99

Max: 5.96
Q3: 3.30
Median: 2.24
Q1: 1.45
IP: 0.99
Min: 0.16

PKX

Materials industry group

1.98

Max: 5.96
Q3: 3.30
Median: 2.24
PKX: 1.98
Q1: 1.45
Min: 0.16

International Paper (IP) vs. POSCO (PKX): A comparison of their current ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Both International Paper (IP) at 0.79 and POSCO (PKX) at 0.50 fund their balance sheets with roughly industry-typical debt-to-equity mixes.

IP

Materials industry group

0.79

Max: 1.98
Q3: 0.89
IP: 0.79
Median: 0.47
Q1: 0.13
Min: 0.00

PKX

Materials industry group

0.50

Max: 1.98
Q3: 0.89
PKX: 0.50
Median: 0.47
Q1: 0.13
Min: 0.00

International Paper (IP) vs. POSCO (PKX): A comparison of their debt-to-equity ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for International Paper (IP) and POSCO (PKX)
Metric	IP	PKX
Current Ratio (MRQ)	0.99	1.98
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	0.79	0.50
Net Debt / EBITDA	2.40	2.81

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Both International Paper (IP) at 5.40% and POSCO (PKX) at 18,518.52% yield above their industries’ entire benchmark ranges — high enough that dividend safety, not income, becomes the first question.

IP

Materials industry group

5.40%

IP: 5.40%
Max: 4.52%
Q3: 1.85%
Median: 0.38%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

PKX

Materials industry group

18,518.52%

PKX: 18,518.52%
Max: 4.52%
Q3: 1.85%
Median: 0.38%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

International Paper (IP) vs. POSCO (PKX): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

International Paper (IP) reports payout ratio above 100% at 402.17%, meaning dividends exceeded current-period earnings and sustainability needs extra context. Meanwhile POSCO (PKX) reports 51.60%, ranking against industry peers normally.

IP

Materials industry group

402.17%

IP: 402.17%
Max: 83.62%
Q3: 41.37%
Median: 9.54%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

PKX

Materials industry group

51.60%

Max: 83.62%
PKX: 51.60%
Q3: 41.37%
Median: 9.54%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

International Paper (IP) vs. POSCO (PKX): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for International Paper (IP) and POSCO (PKX)
Metric	IP	PKX
Dividend Yield (TTM)	5.40%	18,518.52%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	402.17%	51.60%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

An earnings multiple is available for just one side: POSCO (PKX) trades at 15.57 times trailing earnings, ranked against its peers, while International Paper (IP) has no P/E ratio this period.

IP

Materials industry group

Max: 59.00
Q3: 32.93
Median: 18.82
Q1: 11.96
Min: 3.93
IP: --

PKX

Materials industry group

15.57

Max: 59.00
Q3: 32.93
Median: 18.82
PKX: 15.57
Q1: 11.96
Min: 3.93

International Paper (IP) vs. POSCO (PKX): IP does not report P/E ratio, so it has no value marker; PKX is benchmarked against the Materials industry group.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

POSCO (PKX) at 0.00 sits in the cheaper P/S ratio quartile while International Paper (IP) at 0.76 prices around its industry’s middle — PKX costs less per dollar of sales, though read it alongside growth and margins.

IP

Materials industry group

0.76

Max: 9.62
Q3: 4.34
Median: 1.87
IP: 0.76
Q1: 0.73
Min: 0.00

PKX

Materials industry group

0.00

Max: 9.62
Q3: 4.34
Median: 1.87
Q1: 0.73
PKX: 0.00
Min: 0.00

International Paper (IP) vs. POSCO (PKX): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

On P/B ratio, both International Paper (IP) at 1.39 and POSCO (PKX) at 1.36 are valued close to their industries’ norm against book — neither stands out from peers.

IP

Materials industry group

1.39

Max: 6.59
Q3: 3.55
Median: 2.08
IP: 1.39
Q1: 1.26
Min: -0.17

PKX

Materials industry group

1.36

Max: 6.59
Q3: 3.55
Median: 2.08
PKX: 1.36
Q1: 1.26
Min: -0.17

International Paper (IP) vs. POSCO (PKX): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for International Paper (IP) and POSCO (PKX)
Metric	IP	PKX
P/E Ratio (TTM)	--	15.57
P/S Ratio (TTM)	0.76	0.00
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	1.39	1.36
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	12.53%	-23,410.34%