Analysts Anticipate Graphic Packaging Holding (NYSE:GPK) to Announce $0.52 EPS

Analysts predict that Graphic Packaging Holding (NYSE:GPK – Get Rating) will report $0.52 earnings per share (EPS) for the current fiscal quarter, according to Zacks Investment Research. Six analysts have made estimates for Graphic Packaging’s earnings. The highest EPS estimate is $0.57 and the lowest is $0.47. Graphic Packaging reported earnings of $0.26 per share in the same quarter last year, which indicates a positive year over year growth rate of 100%. The company is scheduled to announce its next quarterly earnings report on Monday, January 1st.

On average, analysts expect that Graphic Packaging will report full-year earnings of $2.13 per share for the current fiscal year, with EPS estimates ranging from $2.06 to $2.23. For the next fiscal year, analysts expect that the company will post earnings of $2.36 per share, with EPS estimates ranging from $1.95 to $2.54. Zacks’ EPS calculations are an average based on a survey of research analysts that cover Graphic Packaging.

Graphic Packaging (NYSE:GPK – Get Rating) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 26th. The industrial products company reported $0.48 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.38 by $0.10. Graphic Packaging had a return on equity of 22.68% and a net margin of 3.32%. The business had revenue of $2.25 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.19 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.23 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 36.1% compared to the same quarter last year.

A number of research analysts have recently commented on the company. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their target price on Graphic Packaging from $26.00 to $29.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 6th. StockNews.com assumed coverage on Graphic Packaging in a research note on Thursday, March 31st. They set a “hold” rating on the stock. Raymond James upped their target price on Graphic Packaging from $24.50 to $25.50 and gave the company a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, April 25th. Citigroup increased their price objective on Graphic Packaging from $24.00 to $26.00 in a research note on Friday, April 8th. Finally, BNP Paribas raised Graphic Packaging from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $26.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, May 10th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $24.32.

Shares of GPK stock opened at $20.64 on Thursday. Graphic Packaging has a 1 year low of $16.94 and a 1 year high of $22.71. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.89, a current ratio of 1.37 and a quick ratio of 0.59. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $20.77 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $20.08. The company has a market cap of $6.36 billion, a PE ratio of 24.28, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.39 and a beta of 0.95.

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 5th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 15th were issued a dividend of $0.075 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 14th. This represents a $0.30 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.45%. Graphic Packaging’s dividend payout ratio is presently 35.29%.

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of GPK. CVA Family Office LLC purchased a new position in Graphic Packaging in the 1st quarter worth $31,000. Dark Forest Capital Management LP purchased a new position in Graphic Packaging in the 3rd quarter worth $33,000. Meeder Asset Management Inc. purchased a new position in Graphic Packaging in the 1st quarter worth $69,000. Covestor Ltd purchased a new position in Graphic Packaging in the 4th quarter worth $70,000. Finally, Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. raised its stake in Graphic Packaging by 30.3% in the 4th quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. now owns 4,353 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $84,000 after acquiring an additional 1,013 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 94.71% of the company’s stock.

About Graphic Packaging (Get Rating)

Graphic Packaging Holding Company, together with its subsidiaries, provides fiber-based packaging solutions to food, beverage, foodservice, and other consumer products companies. It operates through three segments: Paperboard Mills, Americas Paperboard Packaging, and Europe Paperboard Packaging. The company offers coated unbleached kraft (CUK), coated recycled paperboard (CRB), and solid bleached sulfate paperboard (SBS) to various paperboard packaging converters and brokers; and paperboard packaging products, such as folding cartons, cups, lids, and food containers primarily to consumer packaged goods, quick-service restaurants, and foodservice companies; and barrier packaging products that protect against moisture, hot and cold temperature, grease, oil, oxygen, sunlight, insects, and other potential product-damaging factors.

Read More