Brokerages Set Graphic Packaging Holding (NYSE:GPK) PT at $31.15

Shares of Graphic Packaging Holding (NYSE:GPK) have earned a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the nine ratings firms that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, two have issued a hold recommendation and six have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month price target among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $30.78.

A number of research analysts have issued reports on GPK shares. Stifel Nicolaus began coverage on Graphic Packaging in a report on Tuesday, July 9th. They set a “buy” rating and a $35.20 price objective for the company. Citigroup lowered their target price on Graphic Packaging from $31.00 to $30.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, July 8th. StockNews.com upgraded Graphic Packaging from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 1st. Royal Bank of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $35.00 target price on shares of Graphic Packaging in a research note on Wednesday, September 4th. Finally, Robert W. Baird lifted their price objective on Graphic Packaging from $30.00 to $36.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 31st.

Insider Transactions at Graphic Packaging

In other news, CEO Michael P. Doss sold 86,374 shares of Graphic Packaging stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $28.05, for a total transaction of $2,422,790.70. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 2,123,202 shares in the company, valued at $59,555,816.10. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. In other Graphic Packaging news, CEO Michael P. Doss sold 86,374 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $28.05, for a total value of $2,422,790.70. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 2,123,202 shares in the company, valued at approximately $59,555,816.10. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Michael P. Doss sold 49,183 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $27.91, for a total value of $1,372,697.53. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 1,909,576 shares in the company, valued at $53,296,266.16. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. 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 institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Rise Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Graphic Packaging during the 1st quarter worth approximately $26,000. UMB Bank n.a. raised its stake in shares of Graphic Packaging by 546.6% during the 3rd quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 944 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 798 shares in the last quarter. LRI Investments LLC bought a new stake in shares of Graphic Packaging during the 1st quarter worth approximately $38,000. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its stake in shares of Graphic Packaging by 46.3% during the 2nd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,744 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $72,000 after purchasing an additional 868 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Atlas Capital Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Graphic Packaging during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $88,000. Institutional investors own 99.67% of the company’s stock.

Graphic Packaging Trading Down 0.5 %

Shares of GPK stock opened at $29.37 on Friday. Graphic Packaging has a 12 month low of $20.07 and a 12 month high of $30.66. The company has a quick ratio of 0.58, a current ratio of 1.45 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.75. The business’s 50 day moving average is $29.10 and its two-hundred day moving average is $28.10. The company has a market cap of $9.03 billion, a PE ratio of 13.29, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.08 and a beta of 0.83.

Graphic Packaging (NYSE:GPK) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, July 30th. The industrial products company reported $0.60 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.56 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $2.24 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.27 billion. Graphic Packaging had a return on equity of 30.74% and a net margin of 7.93%. Graphic Packaging’s quarterly revenue was down 6.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.66 earnings per share. Equities analysts predict that Graphic Packaging will post 2.66 EPS for the current year.

Graphic Packaging Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Saturday, October 5th. Stockholders of record on Sunday, September 15th were given a dividend of $0.10 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, September 13th. This represents a $0.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.36%. Graphic Packaging’s payout ratio is currently 18.10%.

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.