What caused IP's earnings to decline in Q4 2024?

International Paper's (IP) earnings declined in Q4 2024 due to a combination of factors: 1. **Net Income Growth Rate**: The net income growth rate for Q4 2024 was -48.24%, indicating a significant decline in profitability compared to the same period last year. |code|Ticker|Name|Date|Net Income YoY|Total Revenue YoY|market_code| |---|---|---|---|---|---|---| |IP|IP.N|International Paper|2024 Q1|-67.44186046511628|-7.98804780876494|169| |IP|IP.N|International Paper|2024 Q2|111.91489361702128|1.1106364801366937|169| |IP|IP.N|International Paper|2024 Q3|-9.090909090909092|1.5824842835464992|169| |IP|IP.N|International Paper|2024 Q4|48.23943661971831|-0.45642251684416435|169| 2. **Revenue Decline**: The total revenue for Q4 2024 was $4.58 billion, which represented a year-over-year growth of -0.46%. This slight decline in revenue could contribute to the overall earnings decrease. 3. **Strategic Investments and Productivity Gains**: Despite the decline in earnings, International Paper has been making strategic investments and productivity gains. These efforts could potentially lead to improved financial performance in future quarters. 4. **Severance and Termination Benefits**: The company is facing a corporate restructuring that includes layoffs, resulting in significant severance and termination benefits, which could be a one-time or recurring expense impacting earnings. In summary, International Paper's earnings decline in Q4 2024 was likely a result of a combination of revenue decline and increased expenses related to corporate restructuring.