Graphic Packaging (NYSE:GPK) Stock Rating Lowered by StockNews.com

Graphic Packaging (NYSE:GPK) was downgraded by analysts at StockNews.com from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a note issued to investors on Friday.

Other research analysts have also recently issued research reports about the company. Truist Financial decreased their target price on Graphic Packaging from $35.00 to $32.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday. Citigroup decreased their target price on Graphic Packaging from $31.00 to $30.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, July 8th. Royal Bank of Canada decreased their target price on Graphic Packaging from $35.00 to $34.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on Graphic Packaging from $21.00 to $24.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 31st. Finally, Robert W. Baird lifted their price target on Graphic Packaging from $30.00 to $36.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 31st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $30.65.

Graphic Packaging Stock Performance

Shares of GPK traded up $0.32 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $30.10. 2,600,175 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,510,227. The firm has a market capitalization of $9.25 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.62, a P/E/G ratio of 5.08 and a beta of 0.83. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.75, a current ratio of 1.45 and a quick ratio of 0.58. Graphic Packaging has a twelve month low of $20.07 and a twelve month high of $30.66. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $29.18 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $28.12.

Graphic Packaging (NYSE:GPK) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 30th. The industrial products company reported $0.60 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.56 by $0.04. Graphic Packaging had a return on equity of 30.74% and a net margin of 7.93%. The company had revenue of $2.24 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.27 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.66 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 6.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts predict that Graphic Packaging will post 2.66 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Graphic Packaging

In other Graphic Packaging news, CEO Michael P. Doss sold 86,374 shares of Graphic Packaging stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $28.05, for a total transaction of $2,422,790.70. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 2,123,202 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $59,555,816.10. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. In other news, CEO Michael P. Doss sold 49,183 shares of Graphic Packaging stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $27.91, for a total transaction of $1,372,697.53. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 1,909,576 shares in the company, valued at $53,296,266.16. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Michael P. Doss sold 86,374 shares of Graphic Packaging stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $28.05, for a total value of $2,422,790.70. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 2,123,202 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $59,555,816.10. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 1.20% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Graphic Packaging

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Rise Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Graphic Packaging during the 1st quarter valued at about $26,000. UMB Bank n.a. lifted its holdings in shares of Graphic Packaging by 546.6% during the 3rd quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 944 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 798 shares during the last quarter. LRI Investments LLC acquired a new stake in Graphic Packaging in the 1st quarter worth approximately $38,000. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its holdings in Graphic Packaging by 46.3% in the 2nd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,744 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $72,000 after purchasing an additional 868 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Atlas Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Graphic Packaging in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $88,000. 99.67% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.