Graphic Packaging Holding (NYSE:GPK) Receives Consensus Recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from Brokerages

Graphic Packaging Holding (NYSE:GPK - Get Free Report) has been assigned an average recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from the six ratings firms that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 1-year price objective among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $31.70.

GPK has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Wells Fargo & Company raised Graphic Packaging from an "underweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and boosted their price objective for the stock from $24.00 to $27.00 in a report on Monday, January 6th. Citigroup reiterated a "neutral" rating and set a $30.00 price target (down previously from $33.00) on shares of Graphic Packaging in a report on Monday, January 6th. Robert W. Baird dropped their price objective on Graphic Packaging from $36.00 to $32.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. Finally, Truist Financial upped their target price on shares of Graphic Packaging from $30.00 to $32.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, January 6th.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Graphic Packaging

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in GPK. Truvestments Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of Graphic Packaging during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Picton Mahoney Asset Management grew its holdings in Graphic Packaging by 55.4% during the fourth quarter. Picton Mahoney Asset Management now owns 1,105 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 394 shares during the period. Crews Bank & Trust purchased a new stake in Graphic Packaging in the fourth quarter worth $32,000. Avior Wealth Management LLC increased its position in Graphic Packaging by 2,484.0% in the fourth quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,292 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $35,000 after buying an additional 1,242 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC raised its stake in shares of Graphic Packaging by 92.7% in the fourth quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 1,432 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $39,000 after buying an additional 689 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 99.67% of the company's stock.

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Graphic Packaging Stock Down 0.2 %

Shares of GPK traded down $0.05 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $26.19. The stock had a trading volume of 2,234,379 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,335,551. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $27.01 and a 200 day simple moving average of $28.35. Graphic Packaging has a 12 month low of $25.13 and a 12 month high of $30.70. The company has a current ratio of 1.46, a quick ratio of 0.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.71. The company has a market capitalization of $7.86 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.13, a P/E/G ratio of 2.10 and a beta of 0.81.

Graphic Packaging (NYSE:GPK - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 4th. The industrial products company reported $0.59 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.63 by ($0.04). The business had revenue of $2.10 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.15 billion. Graphic Packaging had a net margin of 7.47% and a return on equity of 25.96%. The firm's quarterly revenue was down 6.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.75 earnings per share. Equities research analysts predict that Graphic Packaging will post 2.47 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Graphic Packaging Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, April 5th. Stockholders of record on Saturday, March 15th will be given a dividend of $0.11 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 14th. This is a positive change from Graphic Packaging's previous quarterly dividend of $0.10. This represents a $0.44 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.68%. Graphic Packaging's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 20.37%.

About Graphic Packaging

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.