Graphic Packaging Holding (NYSE:GPK) Shares Sold by Mariner LLC

Mariner LLC lessened its holdings in Graphic Packaging Holding (NYSE:GPK - Free Report) by 18.6% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 134,828 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 30,782 shares during the period. Mariner LLC's holdings in Graphic Packaging were worth $3,662,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Alliancebernstein L.P. increased its stake in Graphic Packaging by 920.6% during the 4th quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 4,176,187 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $113,425,000 after buying an additional 3,767,011 shares during the period. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Graphic Packaging in the fourth quarter worth approximately $98,268,000. Hennessy Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Graphic Packaging in the fourth quarter worth $51,642,000. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC increased its stake in shares of Graphic Packaging by 11.5% in the fourth quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 16,503,189 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $441,990,000 after acquiring an additional 1,702,764 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Boston Trust Walden Corp acquired a new position in Graphic Packaging during the fourth quarter worth $34,131,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.67% of the company's stock.

Graphic Packaging Stock Down 1.3 %

Shares of GPK stock traded down $0.32 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $25.01. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,231,505 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,429,193. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $25.80 and a 200 day moving average price of $27.42. Graphic Packaging Holding has a 52-week low of $23.03 and a 52-week high of $30.70. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.71, a quick ratio of 0.54 and a current ratio of 1.46. The stock has a market cap of $7.55 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.57, a PEG ratio of 2.10 and a beta of 0.80.

Graphic Packaging (NYSE:GPK - Get Free Report) last posted 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 firm had revenue of $2.10 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.15 billion. Graphic Packaging had a return on equity of 25.96% and a net margin of 7.47%. The business's revenue for the quarter was down 6.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.75 earnings per share. Research analysts predict that Graphic Packaging Holding will post 2.47 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Graphic Packaging Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Saturday, April 5th. Shareholders of record on Saturday, March 15th were issued a dividend of $0.11 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 14th. This represents a $0.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.76%. This is a boost from Graphic Packaging's previous quarterly dividend of $0.10. Graphic Packaging's dividend payout ratio is presently 20.37%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Raymond James decreased their price target on shares of Graphic Packaging from $32.00 to $30.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday. Truist Financial cut their target price on Graphic Packaging from $30.00 to $28.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday. Citigroup reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and issued a $30.00 price objective (down from $33.00) on shares of Graphic Packaging in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Robert W. Baird dropped their target price on Graphic Packaging from $36.00 to $32.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upgraded Graphic Packaging from an "underweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and increased their price target for the company from $24.00 to $27.00 in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $30.89.

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.