Graphic Packaging (NYSE:GPK) Cut to Hold at Baird R W

Baird R W lowered shares of Graphic Packaging (NYSE:GPK) from a strong-buy rating to a hold rating in a report released on Wednesday,Zacks.com reports.

Several other equities analysts have also recently commented on the company. Raymond James Financial cut Graphic Packaging from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a report on Friday, October 17th. Robert W. Baird restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $18.00 target price on shares of Graphic Packaging in a research note on Wednesday. Royal Bank Of Canada decreased their price target on shares of Graphic Packaging from $17.00 to $15.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, December 10th. Bank of America reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $24.00 price target on shares of Graphic Packaging in a report on Thursday, October 9th. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded shares of Graphic Packaging from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 16th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and an average target price of $18.50.

Graphic Packaging Trading Up 1.0%

Shares of GPK stock opened at $15.97 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.71 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.39 and a beta of 0.64. Graphic Packaging has a 1 year low of $13.93 and a 1 year high of $28.62. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $15.66 and its 200 day simple moving average is $18.98. 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 (NYSE:GPK) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, November 4th. The industrial products company reported $0.58 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.54 by $0.04. Graphic Packaging had a net margin of 5.94% and a return on equity of 19.98%. The company had revenue of $2.19 billion for 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, sell-side analysts predict that Graphic Packaging will post 2.47 EPS for the current year.

Graphic Packaging Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 7th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 15th were given a $0.11 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 15th. This represents a $0.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.8%. Graphic Packaging’s payout ratio is 25.88%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Graphic Packaging

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Transce3nd LLC raised its position in Graphic Packaging by 8.4% in the 2nd quarter. Transce3nd LLC now owns 6,443 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $136,000 after purchasing an additional 500 shares during the last quarter. Elevation Point Wealth Partners LLC increased its stake in shares of Graphic Packaging by 4.3% in the second quarter. Elevation Point Wealth Partners LLC now owns 12,280 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $259,000 after buying an additional 510 shares in the last quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Graphic Packaging by 3.0% in the second quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 18,379 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $387,000 after buying an additional 539 shares during the last quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC lifted its position in Graphic Packaging by 4.6% during the 2nd quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 13,379 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $282,000 after buying an additional 588 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Thrivent Financial for Lutherans grew its holdings in Graphic Packaging by 0.9% during the 2nd quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 71,049 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,497,000 after acquiring an additional 660 shares during the last quarter. 99.67% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.