Graphic Packaging (NYSE:GPK) Trading 2.9% Higher on Analyst Upgrade

Graphic Packaging Holding Company (NYSE:GPK)’s stock price shot up 2.9% during mid-day trading on Wednesday after JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded the stock from a neutral rating to an overweight rating. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now has a $11.50 price target on the stock, down from their previous price target of $12.50. Graphic Packaging traded as high as $10.08 and last traded at $9.8460. 1,516,807 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 77% from the average session volume of 6,479,834 shares. The stock had previously closed at $9.57.

Several other research analysts also recently weighed in on the company. UBS Group upped their price target on Graphic Packaging from $11.00 to $12.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 6th. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $11.50 price objective on shares of Graphic Packaging in a research report on Wednesday. Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of Graphic Packaging in a report on Monday. Bank of America dropped their target price on shares of Graphic Packaging from $14.00 to $13.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, September 11th. Finally, Zacks Research raised shares of Graphic Packaging from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, June 1st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have given a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Graphic Packaging has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and an average target price of $11.40.

Institutional Trading of Graphic Packaging

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Bell Investment Advisors Inc bought a new stake in Graphic Packaging in the second quarter worth $25,000. Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Graphic Packaging by 2,321.1% in the 1st quarter. Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 3,220 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 3,087 shares during the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc grew its position in Graphic Packaging by 1,075.7% in the second quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 3,480 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $37,000 after acquiring an additional 3,184 shares in the last quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC grew its position in Graphic Packaging by 2,161.1% in the fourth quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC now owns 3,776 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $57,000 after acquiring an additional 3,609 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bessemer Group Inc. increased its stake in Graphic Packaging by 259.4% during the first quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 4,148 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $41,000 after acquiring an additional 2,994 shares during the last quarter. 99.67% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Graphic Packaging Stock Up 2.9%

The company has a quick ratio of 0.60, a current ratio of 1.38 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.58. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $10.90 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $10.42. The company has a market capitalization of $2.92 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.92 and a beta of 0.65.

Graphic Packaging (NYSE:GPK) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 4th. The industrial products company reported $0.14 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.12 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $2.19 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.18 billion. Graphic Packaging had a return on equity of 9.95% and a net margin of 2.25%.The company’s revenue for the quarter was down .7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.42 EPS. Graphic Packaging has set its FY 2026 guidance at 0.650-0.900 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that Graphic Packaging Holding Company will post 0.72 EPS for the current year.

Graphic Packaging Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, October 6th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 15th will be given a $0.11 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 15th. This represents a $0.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.5%. Graphic Packaging’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 66.67%.

Graphic Packaging Company Profile

Graphic Packaging Holding Company, operating through Graphic Packaging International, develops and manufactures fiber-based packaging solutions for consumer packaged goods companies. Its products are used primarily in the food, beverage and household products industries, where packaging is designed to protect products, support branding and improve convenience.

The company’s offerings include folding cartons, paperboard packaging, coated recycled board, paper cups and other foodservice packaging products.