Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. Sells 147,251 Shares of Graphic Packaging Holding Company $GPK

Key Points

• Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. trimmed its stake in Graphic Packaging by 16.0%, selling 147,251 shares in Q4 and ending the period with 772,811 shares (~0.26% of the company) worth about $11.64 million.
• CEO Robbert Rietbroek purchased 44,278 shares on March 4 at $11.32 each, increasing insider ownership to roughly 1.41%.
• Shares trade near $9.82 (12‑month range $8.78–$25.81) with a PE of 6.63 and $2.90B market cap; the company pays a $0.11 quarterly dividend (4.5% yield) while analysts carry a consensus "Reduce" rating and $14.51 price target.

Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. cut its position in Graphic Packaging Holding Company (NYSE:GPK - Free Report) by 16.0% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 772,811 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 147,251 shares during the quarter. Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. owned about 0.26% of Graphic Packaging worth $11,639,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC lifted its position in shares of Graphic Packaging by 2.0% during the 4th quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 19,512,601 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $295,616,000 after acquiring an additional 373,624 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its position in shares of Graphic Packaging by 32.6% during the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 11,501,251 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $225,080,000 after acquiring an additional 2,828,094 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its position in shares of Graphic Packaging by 10.8% during the 3rd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 9,903,921 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $193,811,000 after acquiring an additional 964,517 shares during the period. Eminence Capital LP lifted its position in shares of Graphic Packaging by 164.6% during the 3rd quarter. Eminence Capital LP now owns 7,648,135 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $149,674,000 after acquiring an additional 4,758,098 shares during the period. Finally, Shapiro Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Graphic Packaging by 22.2% during the 3rd quarter. Shapiro Capital Management LLC now owns 5,333,922 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $104,385,000 after acquiring an additional 968,777 shares during the period. 99.67% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Graphic Packaging

In other news, CEO Robbert Rietbroek bought 44,278 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 4th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $11.32 per share, with a total value of $501,226.96. Following the acquisition, the chief executive officer directly owned 44,278 shares in the company, valued at approximately $501,226.96. This trade represents a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 1.41% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Graphic Packaging Price Performance

Shares of GPK opened at $9.82 on Tuesday. Graphic Packaging Holding Company has a 12-month low of $8.78 and a 12-month high of $25.81. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $10.95 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $14.36. The company has a quick ratio of 0.52, a current ratio of 1.30 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.50. The stock has a market cap of $2.90 billion, a PE ratio of 6.63 and a beta of 0.69.

Graphic Packaging (NYSE:GPK - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Monday, March 2nd. The industrial products company reported $0.24 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. Graphic Packaging had a return on equity of 16.58% and a net margin of 5.15%.The business had revenue of $2.10 billion during the quarter. Analysts anticipate that Graphic Packaging Holding Company will post 2.47 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Graphic Packaging Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 8th. Shareholders of record on Sunday, March 15th were issued a $0.11 dividend. This represents a $0.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 13th. Graphic Packaging's dividend payout ratio is presently 29.73%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on GPK. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft began coverage on Graphic Packaging in a research report on Wednesday, April 1st. They set a "hold" rating and a $9.60 target price for the company. Royal Bank Of Canada cut their target price on Graphic Packaging from $13.00 to $10.00 and set a "sector perform" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, March 20th. Robert W. Baird set a $15.00 target price on Graphic Packaging in a research report on Wednesday, February 4th. Zacks Research downgraded Graphic Packaging from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 14th. Finally, Citigroup cut their target price on Graphic Packaging from $16.00 to $13.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Reduce" and a consensus price target of $14.51.

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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