Graphic Packaging Holding (NYSE:GPK) Receives $32.37 Average Target Price from Analysts

Graphic Packaging Holding (NYSE:GPK - Get Free Report) has been given an average rating of "Moderate Buy" by the six research firms that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. The average 1-year target price among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $32.37.

Several equities analysts recently commented on GPK shares. Citigroup reiterated a "neutral" rating and set a $30.00 price target (down from $33.00) on shares of Graphic Packaging in a report on Monday, January 6th. Wells Fargo & Company raised Graphic Packaging from an "underweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and raised their price target for the stock from $24.00 to $27.00 in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Royal Bank of Canada cut 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. StockNews.com downgraded Graphic Packaging from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. Finally, Truist Financial upped their price target on shares of Graphic Packaging from $30.00 to $32.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, January 6th.

Insider Activity

In related news, CAO Charles D. Lischer sold 12,000 shares of Graphic Packaging stock in a transaction on Monday, November 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $29.65, for a total value of $355,800.00. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 49,849 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,478,022.85. This trade represents a 19.40 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Michael James Farrell sold 25,900 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $28.99, for a total transaction of $750,841.00. Following the transaction, 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 1.20% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Graphic Packaging

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. boosted its stake in Graphic Packaging by 1.7% during the 2nd quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 761,881 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $19,969,000 after purchasing an additional 12,873 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its stake in Graphic Packaging by 6.4% during the second quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 6,054,530 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $158,693,000 after acquiring an additional 362,509 shares during the last quarter. Edgestream Partners L.P. purchased a new stake in Graphic Packaging in the 2nd quarter valued at about $1,444,000. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV lifted its holdings in shares of Graphic Packaging by 0.8% in the 2nd quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV now owns 54,259 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $1,422,000 after acquiring an additional 406 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Graphic Packaging by 3.3% during the 2nd quarter. Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC now owns 40,857 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $1,071,000 after purchasing an additional 1,309 shares during the period. 99.67% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Graphic Packaging Price Performance

GPK stock traded up $0.34 during trading on Friday, reaching $27.99. The company's stock had a trading volume of 2,789,618 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,720,368. The company's fifty day moving average is $28.29 and its 200-day moving average is $28.55. 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 $23.47 and a 1 year high of $30.70. The company has a market capitalization of $8.40 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.96, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 9.62 and a beta of 0.85.

Graphic Packaging (NYSE:GPK - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data 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). The company had revenue of $2.22 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.27 billion. Graphic Packaging had a net margin of 7.99% and a return on equity of 28.26%. The company's quarterly revenue was down 5.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.74 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that Graphic Packaging will post 2.53 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Graphic Packaging Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, January 5th. Stockholders of record on Sunday, December 15th were issued a $0.10 dividend. This represents a $0.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.43%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, December 13th. Graphic Packaging's dividend payout ratio is currently 17.09%.

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.