Graphic Packaging Holding (NYSE:GPK) Sees Significant Increase in Short Interest

Graphic Packaging Holding (NYSE:GPK) was the recipient of a significant increase in short interest in September. As of September 15th, there was short interest totalling 16,850,000 shares, an increase of 9.3% from the August 31st total of 15,420,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 2,260,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 7.5 days.

Graphic Packaging Stock Up 0.5 %

Graphic Packaging stock traded up $0.14 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $29.74. 2,398,210 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,534,970. The company has a current ratio of 1.45, a quick ratio of 0.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.75. The stock has a market cap of $9.14 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.45, a P/E/G ratio of 5.13 and a beta of 0.83. Graphic Packaging has a 1-year low of $20.07 and a 1-year high of $30.66. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $28.98 and a two-hundred day moving average of $28.05.

Graphic Packaging (NYSE:GPK) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, July 30th. The industrial products company reported $0.60 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.56 by $0.04. Graphic Packaging had a net margin of 7.93% and a return on equity of 30.74%. The firm had revenue of $2.24 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.27 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.66 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 6.5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts anticipate that Graphic Packaging will post 2.66 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Graphic Packaging Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, October 5th. Shareholders of record on Sunday, September 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.10 per share. This represents a $0.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.35%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, September 13th. Graphic Packaging’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 18.10%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have issued reports on GPK shares. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on shares of Graphic Packaging from $21.00 to $24.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 31st. Stifel Nicolaus assumed coverage on shares of Graphic Packaging in a research note on Tuesday, July 9th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $35.20 price target on the stock. StockNews.com raised shares of Graphic Packaging from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 1st. Truist Financial reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $35.00 price target (up from $33.00) on shares of Graphic Packaging in a research note on Wednesday, July 31st. Finally, Citigroup dropped their price target on shares of Graphic Packaging from $31.00 to $30.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, July 8th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $31.15.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Graphic Packaging news, CEO Michael P. Doss sold 86,374 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $28.05, for a total value 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 transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. In other Graphic Packaging news, CEO Michael P. Doss sold 86,374 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $28.05, for a total value 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 transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Michael P. Doss sold 49,183 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, August 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $27.91, for a total transaction of $1,372,697.53. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 1,909,576 shares in the company, valued at $53,296,266.16. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.20% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Graphic Packaging

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Rise Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Graphic Packaging during the first quarter valued at about $26,000. OLD Point Trust & Financial Services N A bought a new stake in shares of Graphic Packaging in the fourth quarter valued at about $27,000. LRI Investments LLC bought a new stake in shares of Graphic Packaging in the first quarter valued at about $38,000. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its stake in shares of Graphic Packaging by 46.3% in the second quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,744 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $72,000 after buying an additional 868 shares during the period. Finally, Atlas Capital Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Graphic Packaging in the second quarter valued at about $88,000. 99.67% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Graphic Packaging Company Profile

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.