Graphic Packaging Holding (NYSE:GPK) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Hold” by Brokerages

Shares of Graphic Packaging Holding (NYSE:GPK) have earned an average rating of “Hold” from the seven ratings firms that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, two have given a hold recommendation and four have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 12 month price target among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $31.53.

Several research analysts recently commented on the company. Robert W. Baird boosted their target price on Graphic Packaging from $30.00 to $36.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 31st. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Graphic Packaging from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. Royal Bank of Canada lowered their target price on shares of Graphic Packaging from $35.00 to $34.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on shares of Graphic Packaging from $21.00 to $24.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 31st. Finally, Truist Financial cut shares of Graphic Packaging from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and dropped their price objective for the company from $32.00 to $30.00 in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Michael P. Doss sold 49,183 shares of Graphic Packaging stock in a transaction on Friday, August 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $27.91, for a total transaction of $1,372,697.53. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 1,909,576 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $53,296,266.16. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other news, CEO Michael P. Doss sold 49,183 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $27.91, for a total transaction of $1,372,697.53. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 1,909,576 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $53,296,266.16. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Michael P. Doss sold 86,374 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $28.05, for a total value of $2,422,790.70. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 2,123,202 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $59,555,816.10. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 1.20% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Graphic Packaging

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. UMB Bank n.a. boosted its holdings in shares of Graphic Packaging by 546.6% in the third quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 944 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 798 shares during the period. LRI Investments LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Graphic Packaging in the first quarter valued at about $38,000. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its position in Graphic Packaging by 46.3% in the 2nd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,744 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $72,000 after buying an additional 868 shares during the period. Atlas Capital Advisors LLC bought a new position in Graphic Packaging during the second quarter worth $88,000. Finally, LGT Group Foundation acquired a new position in Graphic Packaging during the 1st quarter valued at $134,000. Institutional investors own 99.67% of the company’s stock.

Graphic Packaging Trading Down 1.7 %

Shares of Graphic Packaging stock opened at $27.80 on Tuesday. Graphic Packaging has a 1-year low of $21.25 and a 1-year high of $30.70. The stock has a market cap of $8.34 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.88, a P/E/G ratio of 10.99 and a beta of 0.83. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $29.37 and its 200-day simple moving average is $28.20. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.78, a current ratio of 1.73 and a quick ratio of 0.58.

Graphic Packaging (NYSE:GPK) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 29th. The industrial products company reported $0.64 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.68 by ($0.04). Graphic Packaging had a return on equity of 28.26% and a net margin of 7.99%. The business had revenue of $2.22 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.27 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.74 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 5.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts predict that Graphic Packaging will post 2.52 EPS for the current fiscal year.

About Graphic Packaging

Graphic Packaging Holding Company, together with its subsidiaries, designs, produces, and sells consumer packaging products to brands in food, beverage, foodservice, household, and other consumer products. It operates through three segments: Paperboard Manufacturing, Americas Paperboard Packaging, and Europe Paperboard Packaging.