Graphic Packaging (NYSE:GPK) Lowered to “Strong Sell” Rating by Zacks Research

Zacks Research cut shares of Graphic Packaging (NYSE:GPK) from a hold rating to a strong sell rating in a research report released on Wednesday,Zacks.com reports.

GPK has been the topic of several other research reports. Wells Fargo & Company cut shares of Graphic Packaging from an “equal weight” rating to an “underweight” rating and lowered their target price for the stock from $18.00 to $12.00 in a research note on Tuesday, January 6th. Citigroup lowered their price target on shares of Graphic Packaging from $19.00 to $16.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, January 6th. Bank of America reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $24.00 price objective on shares of Graphic Packaging in a research note on Thursday, October 9th. Truist Financial decreased their target price on shares of Graphic Packaging from $20.00 to $18.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 6th. Finally, UBS Group dropped their price target on Graphic Packaging from $19.00 to $17.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Monday. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and a consensus price target of $18.38.

Graphic Packaging Trading Down 1.2%

NYSE GPK opened at $15.29 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $4.51 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.00 and a beta of 0.64. Graphic Packaging has a one year low of $13.93 and a one year high of $28.62. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $15.58 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $18.82. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.67, a quick ratio of 0.63 and a current ratio of 1.54.

Graphic Packaging (NYSE:GPK) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, November 4th. The industrial products company reported $0.58 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.54 by $0.04. The company had revenue of $2.19 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.17 billion. Graphic Packaging had a return on equity of 19.98% and a net margin of 5.94%.Graphic Packaging has set its FY 2025 guidance at 1.800-2.000 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that Graphic Packaging will post 2.47 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Graphic Packaging Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 7th. Investors of record on Monday, December 15th were issued a $0.11 dividend. This represents a $0.44 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.9%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 15th. Graphic Packaging’s payout ratio is 25.88%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Graphic Packaging

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in GPK. Bessemer Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of Graphic Packaging by 130.7% during the 2nd quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 1,382 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 783 shares during the period. Quarry LP boosted its position in shares of Graphic Packaging by 282.0% during the third quarter. Quarry LP now owns 1,547 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 1,142 shares during the period. Marshall & Sterling Wealth Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Graphic Packaging in the third quarter valued at $31,000. Hantz Financial Services Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Graphic Packaging by 1,356.1% in the 2nd quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 1,791 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $38,000 after buying an additional 1,668 shares during the period. Finally, Operose Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Graphic Packaging during the 2nd quarter worth about $42,000. 99.67% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Graphic Packaging Company Profile

Graphic Packaging Holding Company is a leading provider of sustainable paperboard packaging solutions, offering a broad portfolio of products designed for food, beverage and other consumer goods markets. The company specializes in the manufacture of containerboard, folding cartons and engineered fill materials, as well as beverage packaging systems including paperboard cups, carriers and related components.

Through a network of manufacturing facilities across North America, Europe and Latin America, Graphic Packaging serves a diverse customer base that includes major consumer packaged goods companies, quick-service restaurants and retail chains.