Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH Acquires Shares of 252,246 Graphic Packaging Holding (NYSE:GPK)

Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH purchased a new stake in Graphic Packaging Holding (NYSE:GPK - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor purchased 252,246 shares of the industrial products company's stock, valued at approximately $6,851,000. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH owned 0.08% of Graphic Packaging at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in GPK. Picton Mahoney Asset Management lifted its holdings in shares of Graphic Packaging by 55.4% in the 4th 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 during the last quarter. Crews Bank & Trust acquired a new stake in Graphic Packaging during the 4th quarter worth approximately $32,000. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC lifted its holdings in Graphic Packaging by 92.7% during the 4th quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 1,432 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $39,000 after buying an additional 689 shares in the last quarter. Mizuho Bank Ltd. acquired a new stake in Graphic Packaging during the 4th quarter worth approximately $43,000. Finally, Atala Financial Inc acquired a new stake in Graphic Packaging during the 4th quarter worth approximately $109,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.67% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

GPK has been the topic of a number of research reports. UBS Group initiated coverage on shares of Graphic Packaging in a report on Wednesday. They set a "neutral" rating and a $24.00 target price on the stock. Robert W. Baird reduced their target price on shares of Graphic Packaging from $36.00 to $32.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. Raymond James restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $26.00 price objective (down from $30.00) on shares of Graphic Packaging in a report on Friday, May 2nd. Truist Financial reduced their price objective on shares of Graphic Packaging from $30.00 to $28.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reduced their price objective on shares of Graphic Packaging from $32.00 to $26.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, May 2nd. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $28.53.

Graphic Packaging Price Performance

Shares of NYSE GPK traded up $0.04 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $22.28. The company had a trading volume of 413,678 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,532,518. The company has a quick ratio of 0.54, a current ratio of 1.46 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.71. Graphic Packaging Holding has a twelve month low of $20.86 and a twelve month high of $30.70. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $23.85 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $26.22. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.72 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.32, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.10 and a beta of 0.81.

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

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

Graphic Packaging Announces Dividend

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 yield of 1.98%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 13th. Graphic Packaging's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 21.46%.

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.