StockNews.com Downgrades Graphic Packaging (NYSE:GPK) to Hold

Graphic Packaging (NYSE:GPK) was downgraded by investment analysts at StockNews.com from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report released on Friday.

Other research analysts have also recently issued reports about the company. Robert W. Baird boosted their target price on Graphic Packaging from $30.00 to $36.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 31st. Truist Financial decreased their target price on Graphic Packaging from $35.00 to $32.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, October 15th. Stifel Nicolaus started coverage on Graphic Packaging in a research note on Tuesday, July 9th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $35.20 target price for the company. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on Graphic Packaging from $21.00 to $24.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 31st. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada cut their price target on Graphic Packaging from $35.00 to $34.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Graphic Packaging currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $31.60.

Graphic Packaging Stock Up 1.1 %

Shares of Graphic Packaging stock opened at $30.10 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.58, a current ratio of 1.45 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.75. Graphic Packaging has a 12 month low of $20.07 and a 12 month high of $30.66. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $29.22 and a 200 day simple moving average of $28.13. The stock has a market cap of $9.25 billion, a PE ratio of 13.62, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.08 and a beta of 0.83.

Graphic Packaging (NYSE:GPK) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 30th. The industrial products company reported $0.60 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.56 by $0.04. Graphic Packaging had a return on equity of 30.74% and a net margin of 7.93%. The business had revenue of $2.24 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.27 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.66 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 6.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts predict that Graphic Packaging will post 2.66 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Graphic Packaging

In other Graphic Packaging news, CEO Michael P. Doss sold 86,374 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $28.05, for a total value of $2,422,790.70. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 2,123,202 shares in the company, valued at $59,555,816.10. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. In other news, CEO Michael P. Doss sold 49,183 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $27.91, for a total value of $1,372,697.53. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 1,909,576 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $53,296,266.16. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Michael P. Doss sold 86,374 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $28.05, for a total value of $2,422,790.70. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 2,123,202 shares in the company, valued at $59,555,816.10. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 1.20% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Graphic Packaging

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Rise Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Graphic Packaging in the first quarter valued at approximately $26,000. UMB Bank n.a. grew its position in shares of Graphic Packaging by 546.6% in the third quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 944 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 798 shares during the last quarter. LRI Investments LLC acquired a new position in shares of Graphic Packaging in the first quarter valued at approximately $38,000. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its position in shares of Graphic Packaging by 46.3% in the second quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,744 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $72,000 after purchasing an additional 868 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Atlas Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Graphic Packaging during the second quarter worth approximately $88,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.67% of the company’s stock.

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.