Robert W. Baird Reaffirms Neutral Rating for Graphic Packaging (NYSE:GPK)

Graphic Packaging (NYSE:GPK)‘s stock had its “neutral” rating reiterated by research analysts at Robert W. Baird in a research report issued on Wednesday, MarketBeat.com reports. They presently have a $18.00 price target on the industrial products company’s stock. Robert W. Baird’s target price suggests a potential upside of 13.87% from the company’s previous close.

A number of other equities analysts also recently commented on GPK. Citigroup lowered their price objective on Graphic Packaging from $19.00 to $16.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of Graphic Packaging in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Wells Fargo & Company downgraded shares of Graphic Packaging from an “equal weight” rating to an “underweight” rating and lowered their target price for the stock from $18.00 to $12.00 in a research note on Tuesday. Raymond James Financial lowered Graphic Packaging from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a report on Friday, October 17th. Finally, Zacks Research raised Graphic Packaging from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 16th. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Reduce” and a consensus price target of $18.50.

Graphic Packaging Stock Up 4.9%

Graphic Packaging stock opened at $15.81 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.66 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.30 and a beta of 0.64. The company has a current ratio of 1.54, a quick ratio of 0.63 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.67. Graphic Packaging has a twelve month low of $13.93 and a twelve month high of $28.62. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $15.66 and its 200-day simple moving average is $19.01.

Graphic Packaging (NYSE:GPK) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, November 4th. The industrial products company reported $0.58 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.54 by $0.04. Graphic Packaging had a return on equity of 19.98% and a net margin of 5.94%.The firm had revenue of $2.19 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.17 billion. Graphic Packaging has set its FY 2025 guidance at 1.800-2.000 EPS. As a group, equities analysts expect that Graphic Packaging will post 2.47 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Trading of Graphic Packaging

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its holdings in Graphic Packaging by 54.7% in the second quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 5,841 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $123,000 after acquiring an additional 2,065 shares in the last quarter. Advocate Group LLC raised its position in shares of Graphic Packaging by 16.2% during the second quarter. Advocate Group LLC now owns 290,184 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $6,114,000 after purchasing an additional 40,466 shares during the period. Terra Alpha Investments LLC raised its position in shares of Graphic Packaging by 74.7% during the second quarter. Terra Alpha Investments LLC now owns 83,929 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,768,000 after purchasing an additional 35,883 shares during the period. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Graphic Packaging by 21.6% in the 2nd quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 434,871 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $9,163,000 after purchasing an additional 77,162 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC grew its position in Graphic Packaging by 8.5% in the 3rd quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 19,138,977 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $374,550,000 after purchasing an additional 1,502,681 shares during the period. 99.67% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Graphic Packaging News

Here are the key news stories impacting Graphic Packaging this week:

• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst roundup — a Benzinga piece compiles nine analysts’ views on GPK, showing mixed ratings and divergent price targets that help explain intraday volatility. The Analyst Verdict: Graphic Packaging Holding In The Eyes Of 9…
• Neutral Sentiment: Robert W. Baird kept a neutral rating and a $18 price target on GPK (roughly mid‑teens upside from current levels), signaling cautious optimism from one major sell‑side shop. Baird reaffirms neutral, $18 PT
• Neutral Sentiment: Valuation note — a Yahoo Finance analysis reviews GPK’s recent share swings and valuation metrics (low P/E, margin dynamics), which can attract bargain hunters after the pullback. A Look At Graphic Packaging Holding (GPK) Valuation After Recent Share Price Swings
• Negative Sentiment: Shareholder litigation risk — Pomerantz LLP has opened an investigation into GPK investor claims; regional outlets also report the alert. This raises legal and disclosure risk that could weigh on sentiment if it escalates. INVESTOR ALERT: Pomerantz Law Firm Investigates Claims On Behalf of Investors of Graphic Packaging Holding Company – GPK Local coverage of the Pomerantz investigation
• Negative Sentiment: Additional law‑firm probe — The Schall Law Firm announced a separate investigation into alleged securities law violations, compounding legal overhang. GPK Investors Have Opportunity to Join … Schall Law Firm
• Negative Sentiment: Sell‑side downgrades — Baird cut GPK from “strong‑buy” to “hold,” and Wells Fargo also downgraded the stock; those actions reduce near‑term analyst support. Baird downgrades GPK from strong-buy to hold (coverage link) Wells Fargo downgrades Graphic Packaging Holding (GPK)
• Negative Sentiment: Institutional outlook trimmed — Citigroup lowered its expectations/targets for GPK, another headwind for sentiment and potential catalyst for further analyst revisions. Citigroup Has Lowered Expectations for Graphic Packaging (NYSE:GPK) Stock Price

About Graphic Packaging

Graphic Packaging Holding Company is a leading provider of sustainable paperboard packaging solutions, offering a broad portfolio of products designed for food, beverage and other consumer goods markets. The company specializes in the manufacture of containerboard, folding cartons and engineered fill materials, as well as beverage packaging systems including paperboard cups, carriers and related components.

Through a network of manufacturing facilities across North America, Europe and Latin America, Graphic Packaging serves a diverse customer base that includes major consumer packaged goods companies, quick-service restaurants and retail chains.