Baker Ellis Asset Management LLC Sells 5,650 Shares of Graphic Packaging Holding (NYSE:GPK)

Baker Ellis Asset Management LLC cut its stake in shares of Graphic Packaging Holding (NYSE:GPK) by 3.4% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 161,289 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 5,650 shares during the quarter. Baker Ellis Asset Management LLC owned about 0.05% of Graphic Packaging worth $4,706,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Rise Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Graphic Packaging during the first quarter valued at $26,000. Principal Securities Inc. bought a new stake in Graphic Packaging in the 4th quarter worth about $26,000. OLD Point Trust & Financial Services N A bought a new stake in Graphic Packaging in the 4th quarter worth about $27,000. GAMMA Investing LLC bought a new stake in Graphic Packaging in the 4th quarter worth about $44,000. Finally, ICA Group Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Graphic Packaging in the 4th quarter worth about $50,000. 99.67% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Graphic Packaging Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE GPK traded down $0.05 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $26.21. 6,645,559 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,351,848. Graphic Packaging Holding has a 1 year low of $20.07 and a 1 year high of $29.50. The stock has a market capitalization of $8.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.86, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 9.68 and a beta of 0.87. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.72, a quick ratio of 0.52 and a current ratio of 1.24. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $27.47 and a 200 day moving average of $26.68.

Graphic Packaging (NYSE:GPK) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 30th. The industrial products company reported $0.66 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.63 by $0.03. The company had revenue of $2.26 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.38 billion. Graphic Packaging had a return on equity of 32.55% and a net margin of 7.36%. The firm’s revenue was down 7.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.77 EPS. On average, analysts forecast that Graphic Packaging Holding will post 2.66 earnings per share for the current year.

Graphic Packaging Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 5th. Investors of record on Saturday, June 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.10 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 14th. This represents a $0.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.53%. Graphic Packaging’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 18.10%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently commented on the company. Wells Fargo & Company reiterated an “underweight” rating and issued a $21.00 price objective on shares of Graphic Packaging in a report on Monday, April 1st. Citigroup lifted their price objective on Graphic Packaging from $32.00 to $34.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, April 4th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Graphic Packaging currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $28.13.

About Graphic Packaging

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.