IQ EQ FUND MANAGEMENT IRELAND Ltd Has $2.57 Million Stock Holdings in Graphic Packaging Holding Company (NYSE:GPK)

IQ EQ FUND MANAGEMENT IRELAND Ltd boosted its position in Graphic Packaging Holding Company (NYSE:GPK - Free Report) by 23.3% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 98,889 shares of the industrial products company's stock after acquiring an additional 18,668 shares during the quarter. IQ EQ FUND MANAGEMENT IRELAND Ltd's holdings in Graphic Packaging were worth $2,567,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in GPK. Wayfinding Financial LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Graphic Packaging in the 1st quarter worth $42,000. UMB Bank n.a. raised its holdings in 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 worth $55,000 after purchasing an additional 632 shares during the last quarter. Park Square Financial Group LLC purchased a new position in Graphic Packaging during the 4th quarter valued at about $79,000. Signaturefd LLC increased its stake in shares of Graphic Packaging by 554.5% during the 1st 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Transce3nd LLC acquired a new position in shares of Graphic Packaging during the 4th quarter worth approximately $161,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.67% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

GPK has been the subject of several recent research reports. Raymond James Financial reissued an "outperform" rating and set a $26.00 price target (down previously from $30.00) on shares of Graphic Packaging in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. BNP Paribas Exane lowered shares of Graphic Packaging from an "outperform" rating to a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, June 25th. Royal Bank Of Canada cut their price objective on Graphic Packaging from $26.00 to $25.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, June 18th. UBS Group assumed coverage on Graphic Packaging in a report on Wednesday, June 4th. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $24.00 price target for the company. Finally, Bank of America dropped their price target on shares of Graphic Packaging from $31.00 to $28.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, July 9th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Graphic Packaging presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $26.38.

Insider Activity

In other Graphic Packaging 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 value of $1,239,136.08. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 33,826 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $738,759.84. The trade was a 62.65% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 1.41% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Graphic Packaging Stock Performance

GPK stock traded down $0.34 on Wednesday, reaching $21.90. 2,597,308 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,058,654. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $22.06 and its 200 day moving average price is $24.28. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.49 billion, a PE ratio of 12.38, a PEG ratio of 7.43 and a beta of 0.73. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.68, a current ratio of 1.43 and a quick ratio of 0.56. Graphic Packaging Holding Company has a 12 month low of $20.86 and a 12 month high of $30.70.

Graphic Packaging (NYSE:GPK - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 29th. The industrial products company reported $0.42 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.40 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $2.20 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.13 billion. Graphic Packaging had a return on equity of 21.13% and a net margin of 6.18%. On average, research analysts anticipate that Graphic Packaging Holding Company will post 2.47 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Graphic Packaging Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, October 5th. Investors of record on Monday, September 15th will be issued a $0.11 dividend. This represents a $0.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 15th. Graphic Packaging's payout ratio is currently 24.86%.

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 reacquire up to 23.3% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are usually a sign that the company's leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

About Graphic Packaging

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.