Graphic Packaging Holding (NYSE:GPK) Given Average Rating of "Moderate Buy" by Brokerages

Shares of Graphic Packaging Holding (NYSE:GPK - Get Free Report) have earned an average rating of "Moderate Buy" from the seven analysts that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and four have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year price objective among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $29.17.

GPK has been the topic of several research reports. Raymond James restated an "outperform" rating and set a $26.00 price target (down from $30.00) on shares of Graphic Packaging in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. Truist Financial dropped their price target on Graphic Packaging from $30.00 to $28.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Robert W. Baird dropped their target price on Graphic Packaging from $36.00 to $32.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada dropped their target price on Graphic Packaging from $32.00 to $26.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, May 2nd.

Graphic Packaging Trading Down 0.4%

Shares of GPK traded down $0.10 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $22.27. 2,701,704 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,534,773. 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 has a 1 year low of $20.86 and a 1 year high of $30.70. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.72 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.31, a PEG ratio of 2.10 and a beta of 0.81. The business's 50-day moving average price is $24.07 and its 200-day moving average price is $26.37.

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). Graphic Packaging had a net margin of 7.47% and a return on equity of 25.96%. The firm had revenue of $2.12 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.14 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.66 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was down 6.2% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Graphic Packaging will post 2.47 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Graphic Packaging Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, July 5th. Shareholders of record on Sunday, June 15th will be given a $0.11 dividend. This represents a $0.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.98%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 13th. Graphic Packaging's payout ratio is 21.46%.

Graphic Packaging announced that its Board of Directors has approved a share repurchase 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 buy up to 23.3% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are usually an indication that the company's leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Institutional Trading of Graphic Packaging

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Picton Mahoney Asset Management boosted its stake in shares of Graphic Packaging by 55.4% in 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 during the period. Concurrent Investment Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Graphic Packaging by 3.6% during the 1st quarter. Concurrent Investment Advisors LLC now owns 11,535 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $299,000 after buying an additional 402 shares in the last quarter. 1620 Investment Advisors Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Graphic Packaging by 3.8% in the 4th quarter. 1620 Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 11,163 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $303,000 after purchasing an additional 413 shares during the last quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group lifted its stake in shares of Graphic Packaging by 69.9% in the 1st quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group now owns 1,065 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 438 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Elevation Point Wealth Partners LLC lifted its stake in shares of Graphic Packaging by 4.1% in the 1st quarter. Elevation Point Wealth Partners LLC now owns 11,770 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $306,000 after purchasing an additional 465 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.67% of the company's stock.

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.