Swedbank AB Takes Position in Graphic Packaging Holding Company $GPK

Key Points

• Swedbank AB has acquired 1,000,000 shares of Graphic Packaging Holding Company, valued at approximately $25.96 million, representing 0.33% ownership.
• A recent analyst report from Wells Fargo increased their price target for Graphic Packaging shares from $21.00 to $23.00, while several other firms adjusted their ratings and target prices.
• Graphic Packaging announced a quarterly dividend of $0.11, with a yield of 2.1%, and is set to pay this on October 8th to shareholders of record on September 15th.

Swedbank AB acquired a new position in Graphic Packaging Holding Company (NYSE:GPK - Free Report) during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 1,000,000 shares of the industrial products company's stock, valued at approximately $25,960,000. Swedbank AB owned about 0.33% of Graphic Packaging at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Teacher Retirement System of Texas lifted its holdings in Graphic Packaging by 75.3% during the first quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas now owns 50,534 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $1,312,000 after purchasing an additional 21,708 shares in the last quarter. New York State Teachers Retirement System lifted its holdings in Graphic Packaging by 3.1% during the first quarter. New York State Teachers Retirement System now owns 221,927 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $5,761,000 after purchasing an additional 6,623 shares in the last quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue lifted its holdings in Graphic Packaging by 2.7% during the first quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue now owns 35,155 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $912,000 after purchasing an additional 935 shares in the last quarter. Seven Six Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in Graphic Packaging by 4.9% during the first quarter. Seven Six Capital Management LLC now owns 473,000 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $12,279,000 after purchasing an additional 22,300 shares in the last quarter. Finally, IQ EQ FUND MANAGEMENT IRELAND Ltd lifted its holdings in Graphic Packaging by 23.3% during the first quarter. IQ EQ FUND MANAGEMENT IRELAND Ltd now owns 98,889 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $2,567,000 after purchasing an additional 18,668 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.67% of the company's stock.

Graphic Packaging Price Performance

Shares of Graphic Packaging stock traded up $0.13 on Tuesday, hitting $20.34. 3,190,772 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,155,551. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.03 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.49, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 7.04 and a beta of 0.76. 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 Holding Company has a 52 week low of $20.10 and a 52 week high of $30.70. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $22.22 and a 200 day simple moving average of $23.22.

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

Graphic Packaging Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 8th. Investors of record on Monday, September 15th will be given a $0.11 dividend. This represents a $0.44 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.2%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 15th. Graphic Packaging's payout ratio is currently 24.86%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Graphic Packaging

In other Graphic Packaging news, Director Philip R. Martens sold 7,015 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, August 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $21.80, for a total transaction of $152,927.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 26,811 shares in the company, valued at $584,479.80. The trade was a 20.74% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Joseph P. Yost sold 30,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, August 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $22.72, for a total transaction of $681,600.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 255,203 shares in the company, valued at $5,798,212.16. This trade represents a 10.52% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 93,752 shares of company stock worth $2,073,663 in the last 90 days. 1.41% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

GPK has been the topic of several analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of Graphic Packaging from $21.00 to $23.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Friday, July 18th. BNP Paribas Exane downgraded shares of Graphic Packaging from an "outperform" rating to a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, June 25th. UBS Group assumed coverage on shares of Graphic Packaging in a report on Wednesday, June 4th. They set a "neutral" rating and a $24.00 price target on the stock. Bank of America reduced their price objective on shares of 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, Royal Bank Of Canada reduced their price objective on shares of Graphic Packaging from $26.00 to $25.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, June 18th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Graphic Packaging presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target 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.