Graphic Packaging Holding (NYSE:GPK) Short Interest Down 6.2% in March

Graphic Packaging Holding (NYSE:GPK - Get Free Report) was the recipient of a significant decrease in short interest during the month of March. As of March 31st, there was short interest totalling 12,960,000 shares, a decrease of 6.2% from the March 15th total of 13,810,000 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 2,910,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 4.5 days.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

GPK has been the subject of a number of research reports. Wells Fargo & Company reiterated an "underweight" rating and issued a $21.00 price objective on shares of Graphic Packaging in a report on Monday, April 1st. Robert W. Baird raised their price objective on shares of Graphic Packaging from $28.00 to $30.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, February 22nd. StockNews.com lowered shares of Graphic Packaging from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, February 22nd. Finally, Citigroup raised their price objective on shares of Graphic Packaging from $32.00 to $34.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, April 4th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $28.44.

Insider Transactions at Graphic Packaging

In other news, EVP Joseph P. Yost sold 70,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $26.20, for a total value of $1,834,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 205,231 shares of the company's stock, valued at $5,377,052.20. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 1.20% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Graphic Packaging

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Capital Insight Partners LLC grew its position in shares of Graphic Packaging by 36.6% during the 1st quarter. Capital Insight Partners LLC now owns 42,810 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $1,249,000 after buying an additional 11,475 shares during the period. Artemis Investment Management LLP bought a new stake in Graphic Packaging in the 1st quarter valued at about $235,000. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC raised its stake in Graphic Packaging by 10.0% in the 1st quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 21,795 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $636,000 after acquiring an additional 1,976 shares during the period. Salem Investment Counselors Inc. bought a new stake in Graphic Packaging in the 1st quarter valued at about $252,000. Finally, Fulton Bank N.A. raised its stake in Graphic Packaging by 4.4% in the 1st quarter. Fulton Bank N.A. now owns 27,867 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $813,000 after acquiring an additional 1,177 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.67% of the company's stock.

Graphic Packaging Trading Down 0.5 %

NYSE:GPK traded down $0.15 on Tuesday, reaching $27.42. 1,959,925 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,856,819. The firm has a market capitalization of $8.43 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.67 and a beta of 0.84. The company's 50 day moving average is $27.03 and its 200-day moving average is $24.64. The company has a current ratio of 1.10, a quick ratio of 0.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.66. Graphic Packaging has a 1-year low of $20.07 and a 1-year high of $29.50.

Graphic Packaging (NYSE:GPK - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, February 20th. The industrial products company reported $0.75 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.69 by $0.06. The business had revenue of $2.25 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.40 billion. Graphic Packaging had a net margin of 7.67% and a return on equity of 35.66%. The company's revenue for the quarter was down 5.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.59 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that Graphic Packaging will post 2.71 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Graphic Packaging Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, April 5th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 15th were given a dividend of $0.10 per share. This represents a $0.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.46%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 14th. Graphic Packaging's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 17.02%.

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.