LPL Financial LLC Sells 11,802 Shares of Graphic Packaging Holding Company $GPK

Key Points

• LPL Financial LLC has reduced its stake in Graphic Packaging Holding Company by 9.6%, now holding approximately $2.89 million worth of shares.
• The company reported earnings of $0.42 per share for its last quarter, exceeding analyst expectations of $0.40, with a revenue of $2.20 billion.
• Graphic Packaging's Board of Directors authorized a $1.50 billion stock buyback plan, indicating management's belief that its shares are undervalued, along with a quarterly dividend payment of $0.11 per share.

LPL Financial LLC lessened its holdings in shares of Graphic Packaging Holding Company (NYSE:GPK - Free Report) by 9.6% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 111,424 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 11,802 shares during the quarter. LPL Financial LLC's holdings in Graphic Packaging were worth $2,893,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Wayfinding Financial LLC acquired a new position in Graphic Packaging during the first quarter worth approximately $42,000. UMB Bank n.a. increased its position 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 buying an additional 632 shares during the last quarter. Park Square Financial Group LLC acquired a new position in Graphic Packaging during the fourth quarter worth approximately $79,000. Signaturefd LLC increased its position in Graphic Packaging by 554.5% during the first quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 3,639 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $94,000 after buying an additional 3,083 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Transce3nd LLC acquired a new position in Graphic Packaging during the fourth quarter worth approximately $161,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.67% of the company's stock.

Graphic Packaging Price Performance

Shares of GPK stock traded up $0.52 during trading on Friday, hitting $23.41. The company had a trading volume of 757,489 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,072,181. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.68, a quick ratio of 0.56 and a current ratio of 1.43. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.94 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.22, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 7.67 and a beta of 0.73. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $22.18 and its 200 day moving average price is $23.88. Graphic Packaging Holding Company has a one year low of $20.86 and a one year high of $30.70.

Graphic Packaging (NYSE:GPK - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 29th. The industrial products company reported $0.42 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.40 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $2.20 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.13 billion. Graphic Packaging had a return on equity of 21.13% and a net margin of 6.18%. Graphic Packaging has set its FY 2025 guidance at 1.900-2.20 EPS. Equities analysts expect that Graphic Packaging Holding Company will post 2.47 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Graphic Packaging announced that its board has authorized a stock repurchase program on Thursday, May 1st that allows the company to buyback $1.50 billion in shares. This buyback authorization allows the industrial products company to repurchase up to 23.3% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are typically a sign that the company's board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Graphic Packaging Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, October 5th. Investors of record on Monday, September 15th will be paid a $0.11 dividend. This represents a $0.44 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.9%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 15th. Graphic Packaging's payout ratio is 24.86%.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Philip R. Martens sold 7,015 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $21.80, for a total value of $152,927.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 26,811 shares in the company, valued at approximately $584,479.80. The trade was a 20.74% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Company insiders own 1.41% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have recently commented on the company. BNP Paribas Exane downgraded Graphic Packaging from an "outperform" rating to a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 25th. Royal Bank Of Canada decreased their target price on Graphic Packaging from $26.00 to $25.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, June 18th. Raymond James Financial reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and issued a $26.00 target price (down previously from $30.00) on shares of Graphic Packaging in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. Bank of America decreased their target price on Graphic Packaging from $31.00 to $28.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, July 9th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on Graphic Packaging from $21.00 to $23.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Friday, July 18th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Graphic Packaging has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $26.38.

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.