Nomura Holdings Inc. Purchases New Shares in Graphic Packaging Holding (NYSE:GPK)

Nomura Holdings Inc. bought a new position in Graphic Packaging Holding (NYSE:GPK - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund bought 39,825 shares of the industrial products company's stock, valued at approximately $1,082,000.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Picton Mahoney Asset Management raised its stake in shares of Graphic Packaging by 55.4% during the fourth quarter. Picton Mahoney Asset Management now owns 1,105 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 394 shares in the last quarter. Crews Bank & Trust bought a new position in shares of Graphic Packaging during the 4th quarter valued at $32,000. Avior Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in Graphic Packaging by 2,484.0% in the fourth quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,292 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 1,242 shares during the last quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC lifted its stake in Graphic Packaging by 92.7% in the fourth quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 1,432 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $39,000 after purchasing an additional 689 shares during the last quarter. Finally, UMB Bank n.a. boosted its position in Graphic Packaging by 58.2% during the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 1,493 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $41,000 after buying an additional 549 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 99.67% of the company's stock.

Graphic Packaging Trading Down 0.8%

Shares of GPK stock traded down $0.18 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $22.63. The company's stock had a trading volume of 3,458,646 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,504,006. The company has a current ratio of 1.46, a quick ratio of 0.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.71. Graphic Packaging Holding has a one year low of $20.86 and a one year high of $30.70. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.83 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.48, a P/E/G ratio of 2.10 and a beta of 0.81. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $24.46 and its 200 day simple moving average is $26.62.

Graphic Packaging (NYSE:GPK - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The industrial products company reported $0.51 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.56 by ($0.05). The company had revenue of $2.12 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.14 billion. Graphic Packaging had a net margin of 7.47% and a return on equity of 25.96%. The business's revenue was down 6.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.66 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that Graphic Packaging Holding will post 2.47 EPS for the current year.

Graphic Packaging Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, July 5th. Investors of record on Sunday, June 15th will be given a dividend of $0.11 per share. This represents a $0.44 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.94%. Graphic Packaging's dividend payout ratio is currently 21.46%.

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Truist Financial lowered their target price on Graphic Packaging from $30.00 to $28.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 22nd. Robert W. Baird lowered their price objective on Graphic Packaging from $36.00 to $32.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, February 5th. Raymond James reissued an "outperform" rating and set a $26.00 price objective (down previously from $30.00) on shares of Graphic Packaging in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada decreased their target price on shares of Graphic Packaging from $32.00 to $26.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $29.17.

Graphic Packaging 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.