Advisor Resource Council Purchases Shares of 44,984 Graphic Packaging Holding Company (NYSE:GPK)

Advisor Resource Council bought a new position in Graphic Packaging Holding Company (NYSE:GPK - Free Report) in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm bought 44,984 shares of the industrial products company's stock, valued at approximately $1,168,000.

Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in GPK. Picton Mahoney Asset Management boosted its holdings in Graphic Packaging by 55.4% in the fourth quarter. Picton Mahoney Asset Management now owns 1,105 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 394 shares during the period. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC lifted its position in shares of Graphic Packaging by 92.7% in the 4th quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 1,432 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $39,000 after buying an additional 689 shares during the last quarter. Mizuho Bank Ltd. acquired a new position in shares of Graphic Packaging in the 4th quarter valued at about $43,000. UMB Bank n.a. grew its position in shares of Graphic Packaging by 42.3% during the 1st quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 2,125 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $55,000 after buying an additional 632 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Park Square Financial Group LLC acquired a new stake in Graphic Packaging during the fourth quarter worth about $79,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.67% of the company's stock.

Graphic Packaging Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:GPK traded up $0.03 on Tuesday, hitting $21.58. The company's stock had a trading volume of 2,942,908 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,590,509. The company has a market capitalization of $6.51 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.53, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.76 and a beta of 0.74. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.80, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a current ratio of 1.88. Graphic Packaging Holding Company has a 12 month low of $20.86 and a 12 month high of $30.70. The stock's 50-day moving average is $22.91 and its two-hundred day moving average is $25.44.

Graphic Packaging (NYSE:GPK - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The industrial products company reported $0.51 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.56 by ($0.05). Graphic Packaging had a net margin of 7.15% and a return on equity of 23.68%. The company had revenue of $2.12 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.14 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.66 EPS. The business's quarterly revenue was down 6.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Graphic Packaging Holding Company will post 2.47 EPS for the current year.

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

Graphic Packaging Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, July 5th. Investors of record on Sunday, June 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.11 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 13th. This represents a $0.44 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.04%. Graphic Packaging's payout ratio is 21.46%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have commented on the company. Truist Financial decreased their target price on Graphic Packaging from $30.00 to $28.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 22nd. Royal Bank Of Canada lowered their price objective on Graphic Packaging from $26.00 to $25.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, June 18th. Raymond James Financial reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and issued a $26.00 target price (down from $30.00) on shares of Graphic Packaging in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. Finally, UBS Group initiated coverage on shares of Graphic Packaging in a report on Wednesday, June 4th. They set a "neutral" rating and a $24.00 price target for the company. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $28.40.

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.