Mirova Increases Stake in Graphic Packaging Holding (NYSE:GPK)

Mirova increased its position in shares of Graphic Packaging Holding (NYSE:GPK) by 41.2% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 152,851 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 44,585 shares during the period. Mirova’s holdings in Graphic Packaging were worth $4,151,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Picton Mahoney Asset Management grew its stake in shares of Graphic Packaging by 55.4% during the fourth quarter. Picton Mahoney Asset Management now owns 1,105 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 394 shares during the last quarter. Crews Bank & Trust bought a new stake in shares of Graphic Packaging in the 4th quarter valued at about $32,000. Avior Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in Graphic Packaging by 2,484.0% during the fourth quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,292 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $35,000 after buying an additional 1,242 shares during the period. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC lifted its stake in shares of Graphic Packaging by 92.7% during the 4th quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 1,432 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $39,000 after purchasing an additional 689 shares during the last quarter. Finally, UMB Bank n.a. boosted its holdings in shares of Graphic Packaging by 58.2% in the 4th quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 1,493 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $41,000 after buying an additional 549 shares in the last quarter. 99.67% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on GPK shares. Robert W. Baird lowered their price objective on Graphic Packaging from $36.00 to $32.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, February 5th. Citigroup reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $30.00 price objective (down from $33.00) on shares of Graphic Packaging in a report on Monday, January 6th. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded Graphic Packaging from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and lifted their price target for the company from $24.00 to $27.00 in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Finally, Truist Financial cut their price objective on shares of Graphic Packaging from $31.00 to $30.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Monday, March 24th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $31.37.

Graphic Packaging Trading Up 0.2 %

Shares of GPK opened at $24.50 on Friday. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $25.93 and its two-hundred day moving average is $27.51. The company has a quick ratio of 0.54, a current ratio of 1.46 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.71. The stock has a market cap of $7.39 billion, a PE ratio of 11.34, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.10 and a beta of 0.80. Graphic Packaging Holding has a 52-week low of $23.03 and a 52-week high of $30.70.

Graphic Packaging (NYSE:GPK) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The industrial products company reported $0.59 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.63 by ($0.04). The company had revenue of $2.10 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.15 billion. Graphic Packaging had a return on equity of 25.96% and a net margin of 7.47%. The firm’s revenue was down 6.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.75 EPS. Research analysts forecast that Graphic Packaging Holding will post 2.47 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Graphic Packaging Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Saturday, April 5th. Stockholders of record on Saturday, March 15th were issued a dividend of $0.11 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 14th. This is a boost from Graphic Packaging’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.10. This represents a $0.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.80%. Graphic Packaging’s dividend payout ratio is currently 20.37%.

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.