Graphic Packaging Holding (NYSE:GPK) Given Consensus Recommendation of "Moderate Buy" by Analysts

Graphic Packaging Holding (NYSE:GPK - Get Free Report) has earned a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" from the six analysts that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, one has issued a hold recommendation and four have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 12 month target price among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $31.53.

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on GPK shares. StockNews.com cut shares of Graphic Packaging from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. Royal Bank of Canada lowered their price objective on Graphic Packaging from $35.00 to $34.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. Finally, Truist Financial downgraded Graphic Packaging from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and decreased their target price for the company from $32.00 to $30.00 in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th.

Insider Buying and Selling at Graphic Packaging

In related news, EVP Michael James Farrell sold 25,900 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $28.99, for a total transaction of $750,841.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 81,026 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,348,943.74. This represents a 24.22 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, CAO Charles D. Lischer sold 12,000 shares of Graphic Packaging stock in a transaction on Monday, November 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $29.65, for a total transaction of $355,800.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 49,849 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,478,022.85. The trade was a 19.40 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.20% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. UMB Bank n.a. lifted its position in Graphic Packaging by 546.6% in the third quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 944 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 798 shares during the last quarter. Truvestments Capital LLC bought a new stake in shares of Graphic Packaging in the 3rd quarter worth about $30,000. LRI Investments LLC purchased a new position in shares of Graphic Packaging during the 1st quarter worth about $38,000. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its stake in shares of Graphic Packaging by 46.3% during the 2nd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,744 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $72,000 after purchasing an additional 868 shares during the period. Finally, Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB bought a new position in Graphic Packaging during the 3rd quarter valued at about $73,000. Institutional investors own 99.67% of the company's stock.

Graphic Packaging Stock Performance

GPK traded up $0.08 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $30.09. The company had a trading volume of 1,022,415 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,539,908. The business has a 50-day moving average of $29.12 and a two-hundred day moving average of $28.43. The company has a quick ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 1.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.78. Graphic Packaging has a 1 year low of $22.49 and a 1 year high of $30.70. The company has a market cap of $9.03 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.86, a P/E/G ratio of 11.67 and a beta of 0.83.

Graphic Packaging (NYSE:GPK - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, October 29th. The industrial products company reported $0.64 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.68 by ($0.04). Graphic Packaging had a return on equity of 28.26% and a net margin of 7.99%. The firm had revenue of $2.22 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.27 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.74 earnings per share. The company's revenue was down 5.7% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Graphic Packaging will post 2.52 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Graphic Packaging Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, January 5th. Investors of record on Sunday, December 15th will be given a $0.10 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 13th. This represents a $0.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.33%. Graphic Packaging's dividend payout ratio is currently 17.09%.

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.