IP vs. VALE: International Paper vs. Vale Stock Comparison

November 11, 2026

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

International Paper (IP) trades as ordinary local shares, while Vale (VALE) 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 Vale (VALE)
Profile Item	IP	VALE
Name	International Paper Co.	Vale S.A. American Depositary Shares
Country/Region	United States	Brazil
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	49.32 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	NYSE	NYSE
Listing Date	January 2, 1962	March 21, 2002
Security Type	Common Stock	ADR

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

VALE

GSPC

International Paper (IP) vs. Vale (VALE), 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 Vale (VALE). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for International Paper (IP) and Vale (VALE)
Metric	IP	VALE
Total Return (1Y)	-2.70%	6.20%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	6.64%	3.12%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	-2.14%	8.31%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

VALE

GSPC

International Paper (IP) vs. Vale (VALE), 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 Vale (VALE). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for International Paper (IP) and Vale (VALE)
Metric	IP	VALE
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	42.71%	33.88%
Beta (5Y)	0.96	0.48
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-48.61%	-49.81%
Avg. Volume (3M)	5.09M	32.62M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

IP and VALE 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 Vale (VALE)
Metric	IP	VALE
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	-0.16	0.06
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	-0.24	0.08

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 Vale (VALE) reports 0.26%, 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%

VALE

Materials industry group

0.26%

Max: 52.88%
Q3: 19.49%
Median: 8.76%
VALE: 0.26%
Q1: -3.41%
Min: -32.81%

International Paper (IP) vs. Vale (VALE): 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 Vale (VALE) reports 1.01%, 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%

VALE

Materials industry group

1.01%

Max: 38.66%
Q3: 15.98%
Median: 5.28%
VALE: 1.01%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: -20.40%

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

Operating Margin (TTM)

Both International Paper (IP) at 5.89% and Vale (VALE) at 19.31% 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%

VALE

Materials industry group

19.31%

Max: 66.70%
Q3: 28.92%
VALE: 19.31%
Median: 12.56%
Q1: 3.28%
Min: -14.07%

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

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for International Paper (IP) and Vale (VALE)
Metric	IP	VALE
ROE (TTM)	-22.30%	0.26%
ROA (TTM)	1.60%	6.97%
Net Margin (TTM)	-14.32%	1.01%
Operating Margin (TTM)	5.89%	19.31%
Gross Margin (TTM)	29.78%	32.06%

Growth

Revenue Growth

International Paper (IP) at 49.25% sits in the top revenue growth quartile, while Vale (VALE) at 0.91% is closer to the peer norm — faster top-line expansion for IP.

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

EPS Growth

Vale (VALE) at -61.81% 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. Vale (VALE): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for International Paper (IP) and Vale (VALE)
Metric	IP	VALE
Revenue Growth (YoY)	49.25%	0.91%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	3.75%	-4.32%
EPS Growth (YoY)	-542.68%	-61.81%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	--	-48.60%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Both International Paper (IP) at 0.99 and Vale (VALE) at 1.10 run current ratio in the tighter-liquidity quartile of industry peers, leaving thinner cushions against current liabilities than typical competitors.

IP

Materials industry group

0.99

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

VALE

Materials industry group

1.10

Max: 5.96
Q3: 3.30
Median: 2.24
Q1: 1.45
VALE: 1.10
Min: 0.16

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

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Both International Paper (IP) at 0.79 and Vale (VALE) at 0.55 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

VALE

Materials industry group

0.55

Max: 1.98
Q3: 0.89
VALE: 0.55
Median: 0.47
Q1: 0.13
Min: 0.00

International Paper (IP) vs. Vale (VALE): 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 Vale (VALE)
Metric	IP	VALE
Current Ratio (MRQ)	0.99	1.10
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	0.79	0.55
Net Debt / EBITDA	2.40	1.20

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Both International Paper (IP) at 5.40% and Vale (VALE) at 49.02% 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%

VALE

Materials industry group

49.02%

VALE: 49.02%
Max: 4.52%
Q3: 1.85%
Median: 0.38%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

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

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Both International Paper (IP) at 402.17% and Vale (VALE) at 526.96% report payout ratio above 100%, meaning dividends exceeded current-period earnings on both sides.

IP

Materials industry group

402.17%

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

VALE

Materials industry group

526.96%

VALE: 526.96%
Max: 83.62%
Q3: 41.37%
Median: 9.54%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

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

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for International Paper (IP) and Vale (VALE)
Metric	IP	VALE
Dividend Yield (TTM)	5.40%	49.02%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	402.17%	526.96%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

An earnings multiple is available for just one side: Vale (VALE) trades at 72.44 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: --

VALE

Materials industry group

72.44

VALE: 72.44
Max: 59.00
Q3: 32.93
Median: 18.82
Q1: 11.96
Min: 3.93

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

P/S Ratio (TTM)

Vale (VALE) at 0.23 sits in the cheaper P/S ratio quartile while International Paper (IP) at 0.76 prices around its industry’s middle — VALE 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

VALE

Materials industry group

0.23

Max: 9.62
Q3: 4.34
Median: 1.87
Q1: 0.73
VALE: 0.23
Min: 0.00

International Paper (IP) vs. Vale (VALE): 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 Vale (VALE) at 1.27 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

VALE

Materials industry group

1.27

Max: 6.59
Q3: 3.55
Median: 2.08
VALE: 1.27
Q1: 1.26
Min: -0.17

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

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for International Paper (IP) and Vale (VALE)
Metric	IP	VALE
P/E Ratio (TTM)	--	72.44
P/S Ratio (TTM)	0.76	0.23
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	1.39	1.27
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	12.53%	17.51%