Graphic Packaging (NYSE:GPK) Rating Lowered to Hold at Baird R W

Graphic Packaging (NYSE:GPK) was downgraded by analysts at Baird R W from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report released on Wednesday,Zacks.com reports.

GPK has been the topic of a number of other research reports. Wells Fargo & Company cut shares of Graphic Packaging from an “equal weight” rating to an “underweight” rating and decreased their target price for the company from $18.00 to $12.00 in a research report on Tuesday. Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of Graphic Packaging in a report on Monday, December 29th. Royal Bank Of Canada lowered their price objective on shares of Graphic Packaging from $17.00 to $15.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, December 10th. Bank of America reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $24.00 target price on shares of Graphic Packaging in a research report on Thursday, October 9th. Finally, Truist Financial decreased their price target on Graphic Packaging from $20.00 to $18.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Reduce” and a consensus target price of $18.50.

Graphic Packaging Trading Down 3.7%

Shares of Graphic Packaging stock opened at $15.06 on Wednesday. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $15.66 and a 200 day moving average of $19.04. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.67, a quick ratio of 0.63 and a current ratio of 1.54. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.44 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.86 and a beta of 0.64. Graphic Packaging has a fifty-two week low of $13.93 and a fifty-two week high of $28.62.

Graphic Packaging (NYSE:GPK) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, November 4th. The industrial products company reported $0.58 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.54 by $0.04. The company had revenue of $2.19 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.17 billion. Graphic Packaging had a return on equity of 19.98% and a net margin of 5.94%.Graphic Packaging has set its FY 2025 guidance at 1.800-2.000 EPS. As a group, research analysts predict that Graphic Packaging will post 2.47 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Trading of Graphic Packaging

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Bessemer Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Graphic Packaging by 130.7% in the second quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 1,382 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 783 shares in the last quarter. Quarry LP raised its position in Graphic Packaging by 282.0% in the 3rd quarter. Quarry LP now owns 1,547 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 1,142 shares in the last quarter. Marshall & Sterling Wealth Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Graphic Packaging in the 3rd quarter valued at about $31,000. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB boosted its stake in shares of Graphic Packaging by 649.6% in the 4th quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 2,039 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 1,767 shares during the period. Finally, Hantz Financial Services Inc. grew its position in shares of Graphic Packaging by 1,356.1% during the second quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 1,791 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $38,000 after buying an additional 1,668 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.67% of the company’s stock.

Key Graphic Packaging News

Here are the key news stories impacting Graphic Packaging this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Bull case: a Seeking Alpha piece reiterates a buy thesis, pointing to aggressive cost cuts, planned plant closures and ramping the new Waco facility (targeting roughly $80M annual EBITDA in 2026–27) as reasons GPK can recover from recent revenue and profit headwinds. This supports longer?term upside if execution meets targets. Graphic Packaging: A Focus On The Big Picture Justifies Upside
• Neutral Sentiment: Valuation review: a Yahoo Finance piece analyzes GPK’s valuation after recent swings — it notes the stock trades at a deep discount to peers, which could attract value investors but also reflects real near?term operational risks. A Look At Graphic Packaging Holding (GPK) Valuation After Recent Share Price Swings
• Neutral Sentiment: Broker tone mixed: Baird is publicly active on the name (reports show a neutral rating and an $18 target in one report), signalling cautious investor expectations even where upside is flagged. Baird / Tickerreport
• Negative Sentiment: Legal risk increased: two shareholder?rights firms (Schall Law Firm and Pomerantz LLP) announced investigations into whether Graphic Packaging made false or misleading statements. Potential securities litigation raises uncertainty, possible legal costs, and distraction for management. Schall Law Firm investigation Pomerantz investigation
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst downgrades / price target cuts: multiple broker notes are bearish or more cautious — Wells Fargo issued a downgrade, Citigroup cut its price target from $19 to $16, and at least one report indicates Baird action framed more cautiously. These moves reduce near?term demand and signal lower consensus expectations. Wells Fargo downgrades Citigroup / Benzinga Baird coverage note
• Negative Sentiment: Retail/investor caution pieces: media posts highlighting three reasons GPK is “risky” add to negative sentiment and may pressure retail selling. MSN risk article

Graphic Packaging Company Profile

Graphic Packaging Holding Company is a leading provider of sustainable paperboard packaging solutions, offering a broad portfolio of products designed for food, beverage and other consumer goods markets. The company specializes in the manufacture of containerboard, folding cartons and engineered fill materials, as well as beverage packaging systems including paperboard cups, carriers and related components.

Through a network of manufacturing facilities across North America, Europe and Latin America, Graphic Packaging serves a diverse customer base that includes major consumer packaged goods companies, quick-service restaurants and retail chains.