Graphic Packaging Sees Unusually High Options Volume (NYSE:GPK)

Graphic Packaging Holding Company (NYSE:GPK) saw some unusual options trading activity on Tuesday. Traders bought 28,164 call options on the stock. This is an increase of 3,567% compared to the typical daily volume of 768 call options.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently commented on the company. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on Graphic Packaging from $8.00 to $9.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 15th. UBS Group upped their price objective on Graphic Packaging from $10.00 to $12.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. Bank of America started coverage on shares of Graphic Packaging in a research note on Tuesday, July 14th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $12.00 price objective on the stock. Raymond James Financial cut shares of Graphic Packaging from a “market perform” rating to an “underperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. Finally, Robert W. Baird set a $13.00 price target on shares of Graphic Packaging in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Reduce” and an average target price of $11.03.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Jeffrey Stafeil purchased 17,878 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 7th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $11.19 per share, with a total value of $200,054.82. Following the transaction, the director owned 17,878 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $200,054.82. This trade represents a ? increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 1.50% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Graphic Packaging

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. NewEdge Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Graphic Packaging by 3.0% in the second quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 18,379 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $387,000 after purchasing an additional 539 shares during the period. Farther Finance Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Graphic Packaging by 17.1% during the 4th quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 4,450 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $67,000 after buying an additional 651 shares during the period. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans grew its stake in shares of Graphic Packaging by 0.9% during the 2nd quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 71,049 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,497,000 after buying an additional 660 shares during the period. Hsbc Holdings PLC increased its holdings in shares of Graphic Packaging by 5.4% during the 2nd quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 15,485 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $326,000 after buying an additional 791 shares during the last quarter. Finally, one8zero8 LLC raised its position in shares of Graphic Packaging by 8.7% in the 4th quarter. one8zero8 LLC now owns 12,500 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $188,000 after buying an additional 1,000 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.67% of the company’s stock.

Graphic Packaging Price Performance

Shares of Graphic Packaging stock traded up $0.27 on Tuesday, hitting $11.62. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 1,266,853 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,724,410. The company has a market capitalization of $3.44 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.63 and a beta of 0.66. Graphic Packaging has a 1 year low of $8.78 and a 1 year high of $23.47. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.60, a quick ratio of 0.59 and a current ratio of 1.41. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $10.77 and a 200-day moving average price of $11.09.

Graphic Packaging (NYSE:GPK) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 4th. The industrial products company reported $0.14 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.12 by $0.02. Graphic Packaging had a return on equity of 12.62% and a net margin of 3.17%.The business’s quarterly revenue was down .7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.42 EPS. Graphic Packaging has set its FY 2026 guidance at 0.650-0.900 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Graphic Packaging will post 0.75 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Graphic Packaging Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, October 6th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 15th will be given a dividend of $0.11 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 15th. This represents a $0.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.8%. Graphic Packaging’s dividend payout ratio is currently 47.83%.

About Graphic Packaging

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.