Graphic Packaging Holding Company $GPK Shares Acquired by Manning & Napier Advisors LLC

Key Points

• Manning & Napier Advisors increased its stake in Graphic Packaging by 279.3% in the fourth quarter, while several other institutional investors also boosted positions. Institutional ownership remains extremely high at 99.67%.
• CEO Robbert Rietbroek bought 44,278 shares at an average price of $11.32, signaling insider confidence, even as insiders own only 1.41% of the stock.
• The company reported better-than-expected quarterly results with EPS of $0.09 versus $0.06 expected and revenue of $2.16 billion, but shares remain under pressure amid class-action lawsuit announcements and mixed analyst sentiment.

Manning & Napier Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Graphic Packaging Holding Company (NYSE:GPK - Free Report) by 279.3% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 132,763 shares of the industrial products company's stock after buying an additional 97,763 shares during the quarter. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC's holdings in Graphic Packaging were worth $1,999,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Eminence Capital LP raised 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 in the last quarter. Causeway Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in Graphic Packaging by 251.3% in the third quarter. Causeway Capital Management LLC now owns 2,601,576 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $50,913,000 after purchasing an additional 1,861,097 shares during the period. Tudor Investment Corp ET AL bought a new stake in Graphic Packaging during the third quarter valued at $2,360,000. Skylands Capital LLC raised its holdings in shares of Graphic Packaging by 60.3% during the fourth quarter. Skylands Capital LLC now owns 384,900 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $5,797,000 after purchasing an additional 144,850 shares during the period. Finally, SG Americas Securities LLC raised its holdings in shares of Graphic Packaging by 673.5% during the fourth quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 165,245 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $2,489,000 after purchasing an additional 143,882 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 99.67% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Graphic Packaging news, CEO Robbert Rietbroek bought 44,278 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 4th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $11.32 per share, with a total value of $501,226.96. Following the purchase, the chief executive officer directly owned 44,278 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $501,226.96. The trade was a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. 1.41% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Key Stories Impacting Graphic Packaging

Here are the key news stories impacting Graphic Packaging this week:

• Negative Sentiment: Several firms, including Holzer & Holzer, Pomerantz, Gainey McKenna & Egleston, Bernstein Liebhard, and Schall, announced or promoted class action litigation against Graphic Packaging, reinforcing investor concerns about alleged securities fraud and disclosure issues. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: The lawsuit alleges Graphic Packaging downplayed inventory problems, weaker demand and volumes, higher costs, and overstated the strength of its business model, which could weigh on sentiment toward the stock. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: UBS raised its price target on Graphic Packaging to $12 from $10 while keeping a neutral rating, suggesting some valuation support but no clear bullish shift. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Other commentary pieces highlighted valuation after a volatile year and a recent rebound, but did not provide a major new catalyst for the shares. Article Title

Graphic Packaging Stock Down 3.9%

GPK stock opened at $10.60 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $3.14 billion, a PE ratio of 11.53 and a beta of 0.61. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $10.03 and its 200 day simple moving average is $13.39. Graphic Packaging Holding Company has a fifty-two week low of $8.78 and a fifty-two week high of $23.76. The company has a quick ratio of 0.52, a current ratio of 1.41 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.60.

Graphic Packaging (NYSE:GPK - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, May 5th. The industrial products company reported $0.09 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.06 by $0.03. Graphic Packaging had a net margin of 3.17% and a return on equity of 12.62%. The firm had revenue of $2.16 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.05 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.51 EPS. Graphic Packaging's quarterly revenue was up 1.7% on a year-over-year basis. Graphic Packaging has set its FY 2026 guidance at 0.750-1.150 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Graphic Packaging Holding Company will post 0.85 EPS for the current year.

Graphic Packaging Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 8th. Investors 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 4.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 13th. Graphic Packaging's dividend payout ratio is 47.83%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have recently commented on GPK shares. UBS Group lifted their price target on shares of Graphic Packaging from $10.00 to $12.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday. Raymond James Financial cut shares of Graphic Packaging from a "market perform" rating to an "underperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. Weiss Ratings restated a "sell (d+)" rating on shares of Graphic Packaging in a research note on Friday, March 27th. Royal Bank Of Canada lowered their target price on Graphic Packaging from $13.00 to $10.00 and set a "sector perform" rating for the company in a report on Friday, March 20th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft assumed coverage on Graphic Packaging in a research report on Wednesday, April 1st. They set a "hold" rating and a $9.60 price target on the stock. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and four have given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Graphic Packaging currently has a consensus rating of "Reduce" and a consensus price target of $12.33.

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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