First Trust Advisors LP Grows Position in Graphic Packaging Holding Company $GPK

First Trust Advisors LP raised its stake in Graphic Packaging Holding Company (NYSE:GPK) by 15.7% during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 953,956 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after buying an additional 129,214 shares during the quarter. First Trust Advisors LP owned about 0.32% of Graphic Packaging worth $9,482,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of GPK. Quarry LP raised its stake in shares of Graphic Packaging by 282.0% in the 3rd quarter. Quarry LP now owns 1,547 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 1,142 shares during the period. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd boosted its position in shares of Graphic Packaging by 13,971.4% during the 4th quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 1,970 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 1,956 shares during the period. Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. boosted its position in shares of Graphic Packaging by 2,321.1% during the 1st quarter. Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 3,220 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 3,087 shares during the period. Bessemer Group Inc. increased its holdings in Graphic Packaging by 259.4% in the 1st quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 4,148 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $41,000 after purchasing an additional 2,994 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Danske Bank A S acquired a new stake in Graphic Packaging in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $45,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.67% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have commented on the company. Bank of America assumed coverage on Graphic Packaging in a research note on Tuesday, July 14th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $12.00 price target on the stock. Raymond James Financial downgraded Graphic Packaging from a “market perform” rating to an “underperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. Robert W. Baird set a $13.00 target price on Graphic Packaging in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. initiated coverage on Graphic Packaging in a report on Monday, June 29th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $11.70 target price for the company. Finally, Zacks Research raised Graphic Packaging from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, June 1st. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Reduce” and an average price target of $11.03.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Jeffrey Stafeil acquired 17,878 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 7th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $11.19 per share, with a total value of $200,054.82. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 17,878 shares in the company, valued at $200,054.82. This represents a ∞ increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders own 1.50% of the company’s stock.

Graphic Packaging Stock Down 1.6%

Graphic Packaging stock opened at $10.78 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.19 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.72 and a beta of 0.66. The company has a current ratio of 1.41, a quick ratio of 0.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.60. Graphic Packaging Holding Company has a twelve month low of $8.78 and a twelve month high of $23.47. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $10.75 and its 200-day simple moving average is $11.15.

Graphic Packaging (NYSE:GPK) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, May 5th. The industrial products company reported $0.09 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.06 by $0.03. Graphic Packaging had a return on equity of 12.62% and a net margin of 3.17%.The firm had revenue of $2.16 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.05 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.51 earnings per share. Graphic Packaging’s revenue was up 1.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Graphic Packaging has set its FY 2026 guidance at 0.750-1.150 EPS. As a group, equities analysts expect that Graphic Packaging Holding Company will post 0.75 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Graphic Packaging Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, October 6th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 15th will be given a $0.11 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 15th. This represents a $0.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.1%. Graphic Packaging’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 47.83%.

Graphic Packaging 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.