Skylands Capital LLC Decreases Stake in Graphic Packaging Holding (NYSE:GPK)

Skylands Capital LLC lessened its holdings in shares of Graphic Packaging Holding (NYSE:GPK) by 8.2% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 238,300 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 21,400 shares during the quarter. Skylands Capital LLC owned 0.08% of Graphic Packaging worth $5,874,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. FinTrust Capital Advisors LLC boosted its position in Graphic Packaging by 870.7% during the 3rd quarter. FinTrust Capital Advisors LLC now owns 1,291 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 1,158 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Graphic Packaging during the 4th quarter valued at about $44,000. Venturi Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in Graphic Packaging by 39.6% during the 3rd quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,372 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $53,000 after acquiring an additional 673 shares in the last quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in Graphic Packaging by 44.2% in the 3rd quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 2,476 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $55,000 after acquiring an additional 759 shares during the period. Finally, CVA Family Office LLC acquired a new stake in Graphic Packaging in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $62,000. 99.67% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Graphic Packaging Stock Performance

NYSE:GPK traded up $0.28 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $27.81. 1,476,047 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,770,318. Graphic Packaging Holding has a 52 week low of $20.07 and a 52 week high of $29.50. The company has a quick ratio of 0.42, a current ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.66. The stock has a market capitalization of $8.55 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.73 and a beta of 0.84. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $27.42 and a 200-day simple moving average of $24.96.

Graphic Packaging (NYSE:GPK) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 20th. The industrial products company reported $0.75 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.69 by $0.06. Graphic Packaging had a return on equity of 35.66% and a net margin of 7.67%. The firm had revenue of $2.25 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.40 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.59 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 5.7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Graphic Packaging Holding will post 2.7 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Graphic Packaging Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, April 5th. Investors of record on Friday, March 15th were given a dividend of $0.10 per share. This represents a $0.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.44%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 14th. Graphic Packaging’s dividend payout ratio is presently 17.02%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Graphic Packaging news, EVP Joseph P. Yost sold 70,000 shares of Graphic Packaging stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $26.20, for a total value of $1,834,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 205,231 shares in the company, valued at $5,377,052.20. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 1.20% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

GPK has been the subject of several analyst reports. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Graphic Packaging from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company reissued an “underweight” rating and issued a $21.00 price objective on shares of Graphic Packaging in a research report on Monday, April 1st. Citigroup lifted their target price on Graphic Packaging from $32.00 to $34.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 4th. Finally, Robert W. Baird increased their price target on Graphic Packaging from $28.00 to $30.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, February 22nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $28.44.

Graphic Packaging 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.