Aberdeen Group plc Trims Position in Graphic Packaging Holding Company $GPK

Key Points

• Aberdeen Group plc has reduced its position in Graphic Packaging Holding Company by 25.9%, now owning 1,073,880 shares valued at approximately $27.88 million.
• The stock is currently rated a "Hold" by analysts, with a consensus target price of $26.38, reflecting a decrease from previous estimates.
• Graphic Packaging has declared a quarterly dividend of $0.11 per share, representing a yield of 2.0%, with an authorized share repurchase plan of up to $1.50 billion.

Aberdeen Group plc reduced its position in Graphic Packaging Holding Company (NYSE:GPK - Free Report) by 25.9% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 1,073,880 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 374,456 shares during the quarter. Aberdeen Group plc owned approximately 0.36% of Graphic Packaging worth $27,878,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of GPK. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Graphic Packaging in the first quarter worth $28,000. Wayfinding Financial LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Graphic Packaging in the 1st quarter worth $42,000. UMB Bank n.a. boosted its stake in shares of Graphic Packaging by 42.3% during the first quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 2,125 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $55,000 after purchasing an additional 632 shares in the last quarter. Park Square Financial Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Graphic Packaging during the 4th quarter worth $79,000. Finally, Signaturefd LLC grew its holdings in Graphic Packaging by 554.5% in the first quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 3,639 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $94,000 after purchasing an additional 3,083 shares during the last quarter. 99.67% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Graphic Packaging Price Performance

NYSE:GPK traded up $0.4020 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $23.2920. 2,087,314 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,078,979. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $22.18 and its 200 day moving average price is $23.88. Graphic Packaging Holding Company has a 52-week low of $20.86 and a 52-week high of $30.70. The company has a market cap of $6.90 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.16, a P/E/G ratio of 7.67 and a beta of 0.73. The company has a current ratio of 1.43, a quick ratio of 0.56 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.68.

Graphic Packaging (NYSE:GPK - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 29th. The industrial products company reported $0.42 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.40 by $0.02. Graphic Packaging had a return on equity of 21.13% and a net margin of 6.18%.The firm had revenue of $2.20 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.13 billion. Graphic Packaging has set its FY 2025 guidance at 1.900-2.20 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Graphic Packaging Holding Company will post 2.47 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Graphic Packaging Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, October 5th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 15th will be given a $0.11 dividend. This represents a $0.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.9%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 15th. Graphic Packaging's dividend payout ratio is 24.86%.

Graphic Packaging declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock buyback program on Thursday, May 1st that authorizes the company to buyback $1.50 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the industrial products company to purchase up to 23.3% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are often an indication that the company's board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

GPK has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. UBS Group assumed coverage on Graphic Packaging in a research note on Wednesday, June 4th. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $24.00 target price for the company. Truist Financial dropped their target price on Graphic Packaging from $24.00 to $23.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, July 11th. BNP Paribas Exane lowered shares of Graphic Packaging from an "outperform" rating to a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 25th. Royal Bank Of Canada dropped their price objective on shares of Graphic Packaging from $26.00 to $25.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, June 18th. Finally, Bank of America reduced their target price on shares of Graphic Packaging from $31.00 to $28.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, July 9th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $26.38.

Insider Buying and Selling at Graphic Packaging

In related news, Director Philip R. Martens sold 56,737 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $21.84, for a total transaction of $1,239,136.08. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 33,826 shares in the company, valued at approximately $738,759.84. The trade was a 62.65% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 1.41% of the company's stock.

Graphic Packaging Company Profile

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.