Bank of Nova Scotia Buys Shares of 135,692 Graphic Packaging Holding Company $GPK

Key Points

• Bank of Nova Scotia purchased 135,692 shares of Graphic Packaging, valued at approximately $1.43 million. Institutional investors collectively own 99.67% of the company, with several major funds increasing their positions.
• Analyst sentiment remains cautious: nine analysts rate the stock a Hold and three rate it Sell, producing an average rating of “Reduce” and an average price target of $11.14.
• Graphic Packaging reported quarterly EPS of $0.14, beating estimates by $0.02, while revenue reached $2.19 billion. The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.11, equivalent to a 3.8% annualized yield.

Bank of Nova Scotia purchased a new position in Graphic Packaging Holding Company (NYSE:GPK - Free Report) in the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund purchased 135,692 shares of the industrial products company's stock, valued at approximately $1,434,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in GPK. AQR Capital Management LLC raised its stake in Graphic Packaging by 36.6% during the 1st quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 171,608 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $4,453,000 after buying an additional 45,944 shares during the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Graphic Packaging by 9.9% during the 1st quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 1,471,519 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $38,201,000 after buying an additional 132,692 shares during the period. Hsbc Holdings PLC boosted its stake in shares of Graphic Packaging by 5.4% in the 2nd quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 15,485 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $326,000 after buying an additional 791 shares during the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. grew its holdings in shares of Graphic Packaging by 28.8% in the second quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 2,130,941 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $44,899,000 after acquiring an additional 477,085 shares during the period. Finally, First Trust Advisors LP increased its position in Graphic Packaging by 3.6% during the second quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 1,002,964 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $21,133,000 after acquiring an additional 34,790 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 99.67% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have issued reports on GPK. JPMorgan Chase & Co. assumed coverage on Graphic Packaging in a research note on Monday, June 29th. They set a "neutral" rating and a $11.70 price target for the company. Citigroup boosted their target price on shares of Graphic Packaging from $10.00 to $11.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. Zacks Research raised shares of Graphic Packaging from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, June 1st. UBS Group increased their price target on shares of Graphic Packaging from $11.00 to $12.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, August 6th. Finally, Bank of America initiated coverage on shares of Graphic Packaging in a research note on Tuesday, July 14th. They set a "neutral" rating and a $12.00 price target on the stock. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Reduce" and an average price target of $11.14.

Graphic Packaging Trading Up 0.2%

Graphic Packaging stock opened at $11.44 on Thursday. Graphic Packaging Holding Company has a 12-month low of $8.78 and a 12-month high of $22.56. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.33 and a beta of 0.66. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $11.06 and a 200 day moving average of $10.72. The company has a current ratio of 1.38, a quick ratio of 0.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.58.

Graphic Packaging (NYSE:GPK - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 4th. The industrial products company reported $0.14 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.12 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $2.19 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.18 billion. Graphic Packaging had a net margin of 2.25% and a return on equity of 9.95%. The company's revenue was down .7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.42 earnings per share. Graphic Packaging has set its FY 2026 guidance at 0.650-0.900 EPS. As a group, research analysts predict that Graphic Packaging Holding Company will post 0.71 earnings per share for the current year.

Graphic Packaging Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, October 6th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 15th will be paid a $0.11 dividend. This represents a $0.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.8%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 15th. Graphic Packaging's dividend payout ratio is presently 66.67%.

Graphic Packaging Company Profile

Graphic Packaging Holding Company is a leading provider of sustainable paperboard packaging solutions, offering a broad portfolio of products designed for food, beverage and other consumer goods markets. The company specializes in the manufacture of containerboard, folding cartons and engineered fill materials, as well as beverage packaging systems including paperboard cups, carriers and related components.

Through a network of manufacturing facilities across North America, Europe and Latin America, Graphic Packaging serves a diverse customer base that includes major consumer packaged goods companies, quick-service restaurants and retail chains.

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