Marshall Wace LLP Boosts Stake in Graphic Packaging Holding (NYSE:GPK)

Marshall Wace LLP grew its position in shares of Graphic Packaging Holding (NYSE:GPK - Free Report) by 735.3% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 2,446,843 shares of the industrial products company's stock after purchasing an additional 2,153,925 shares during the quarter. Marshall Wace LLP owned about 0.82% of Graphic Packaging worth $66,456,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Picton Mahoney Asset Management lifted its position in shares of Graphic Packaging by 55.4% during the 4th quarter. Picton Mahoney Asset Management now owns 1,105 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 394 shares during the period. Crews Bank & Trust acquired a new position in Graphic Packaging during the fourth quarter worth $32,000. Avior Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Graphic Packaging by 2,484.0% during the fourth quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,292 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $35,000 after buying an additional 1,242 shares during the last quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC increased its position in shares of Graphic Packaging by 92.7% during the fourth quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 1,432 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $39,000 after acquiring an additional 689 shares in the last quarter. Finally, UMB Bank n.a. lifted its position in Graphic Packaging by 58.2% in the 4th quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 1,493 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $41,000 after acquiring an additional 549 shares in the last quarter. 99.67% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Graphic Packaging Trading Down 1.1 %

Shares of GPK traded down $0.28 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $25.07. The company had a trading volume of 420,455 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,421,358. The company has a quick ratio of 0.54, a current ratio of 1.46 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.71. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $25.86 and its 200 day moving average price is $27.45. The firm has a market cap of $7.56 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.61, a P/E/G ratio of 2.10 and a beta of 0.80. Graphic Packaging Holding has a 52-week low of $23.03 and a 52-week high of $30.70.

Graphic Packaging (NYSE:GPK - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The industrial products company reported $0.59 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.63 by ($0.04). Graphic Packaging had a return on equity of 25.96% and a net margin of 7.47%. The business had revenue of $2.10 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.15 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.75 EPS. The business's revenue was down 6.8% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts predict that Graphic Packaging Holding will post 2.47 EPS for the current year.

Graphic Packaging Increases Dividend

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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