Graphic Packaging Holding Company $GPK Shares Sold by Northern Trust Corp

Key Points

• Northern Trust Corp has decreased its stake in Graphic Packaging Holding Company by 4.8%, holding 2,540,106 shares worth approximately $65.94 million.
• Graphic Packaging recently reported a quarterly EPS of $0.42, surpassing analyst expectations, and set a FY 2025 guidance range of 1.900-2.20 EPS.
• The company has approved a $1.50 billion stock repurchase program, signaling confidence in its stock value amidst institutional ownership of 99.67%.

Northern Trust Corp cut its stake in shares of Graphic Packaging Holding Company (NYSE:GPK - Free Report) by 4.8% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 2,540,106 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 128,246 shares during the quarter. Northern Trust Corp owned 0.84% of Graphic Packaging worth $65,941,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Brooklyn Investment Group lifted its holdings in shares of Graphic Packaging by 69.9% during the first quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group now owns 1,065 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 438 shares during the period. Summit Securities Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Graphic Packaging during the first quarter worth $64,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Graphic Packaging by 41.4% during the first quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. now owns 1,336,367 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $34,692,000 after purchasing an additional 391,264 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Graphic Packaging by 11.7% during the first quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 18,488,501 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $479,962,000 after purchasing an additional 1,932,841 shares during the period. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Graphic Packaging by 1.5% during the first quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 307,723 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $7,988,000 after purchasing an additional 4,511 shares during the period. 99.67% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Graphic Packaging Price Performance

Graphic Packaging stock traded up $0.06 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $22.25. 3,335,573 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,393,389. The company has a market capitalization of $6.59 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.57, a P/E/G ratio of 7.54 and a beta of 0.73. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $22.33 and its 200-day simple moving average is $23.71. Graphic Packaging Holding Company has a 1 year low of $20.86 and a 1 year high of $30.70. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.68, a quick ratio of 0.56 and a current ratio of 1.43.

Graphic Packaging (NYSE:GPK - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 29th. The industrial products company reported $0.42 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.40 by $0.02. The firm 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. On average, analysts anticipate that Graphic Packaging Holding Company will post 2.47 EPS for the current year.

Graphic Packaging Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 8th. Investors of record on Monday, September 15th will be given a dividend of $0.11 per share. This represents a $0.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.0%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 15th. Graphic Packaging's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 24.86%.

Insider Transactions at Graphic Packaging

In related news, Director Philip R. Martens sold 7,015 shares of Graphic Packaging stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $21.80, for a total transaction of $152,927.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 26,811 shares in the company, valued at approximately $584,479.80. This trade represents a 20.74% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Joseph P. Yost sold 30,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $22.72, for a total value of $681,600.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 255,203 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,798,212.16. The trade was a 10.52% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 93,752 shares of company stock valued at $2,073,663. 1.41% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have commented on the company. BNP Paribas Exane downgraded Graphic Packaging from an "outperform" rating to a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, June 25th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on Graphic Packaging from $21.00 to $23.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Friday, July 18th. UBS Group assumed coverage on Graphic Packaging in a report on Wednesday, June 4th. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $24.00 target price for the company. Royal Bank Of Canada reduced their target price on Graphic Packaging from $26.00 to $25.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, June 18th. Finally, Truist Financial reduced their target price on Graphic Packaging from $24.00 to $23.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a report on Friday, July 11th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $26.38.

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.