Graphic Packaging Holding Company (GPK) Stock

Graphic Packaging Holding Company (GPK) is a Materials stock trading at $11.96 (as of 2026-08-21), with a market capitalization of $3.54B and a trailing P/E of 44.3. Figures are sourced from first-party U.S. SEC EDGAR filings and market data.

Graphic Packaging Holding Company, through three segments (Paperboard Mills, Americas Paperboard Packaging, and Europe Paperboard Packaging), makes fiber-based paperboard and packaging products. It supplies coated paperboard grades and paperboard packaging items, including folding cartons and foodservice containers, along with barrier packaging and specialized packaging equipment to customers serving consumer, food and beverage, and foodservice markets.

Understand Graphic Packaging Holding Company: how it makes money

Graphic Packaging Holding Company makes fiber-based paperboard packaging for food, beverage, and foodservice brands, and earns money by producing paperboard (from its mills) and converting it into items like folding cartons and food containers sold to packaging customers.

The profit engine is operational utilization plus vertical integration, the company runs mills at high operating rate (Operating Rate 95.0 percent) and uses paperboard integration (Paperboard Integration Rate 75.0 percent, and 79.0 percent into consumer packaging) to convert in-house paperboard into a mostly consumer packaging mix (Consumer Packaging Share of Sales 95.0 percent).

Business quality (Weak): Clear business structure with measurable operating and integration metrics, but profitability appears thin (Gross Margin 14.2 percent, Operating Margin 0.9 percent) and recent results show pressure in sales and pricing.

Valuation: At 12× earnings, GPK trades 33% below the Shipping Containers average (17×). Note: one-time items can distort reported P/E.

Bull case

  • High mill utilization supports throughput: Operating Rate was 95.0 percent, which is a key driver for a manufacturing-heavy paperboard business.
  • Integration and consumer mix are structural positives: Paperboard Integration Rate was 75.0 percent, and 79.0 percent of integration was into consumer packaging, with consumer packaging making up 95.0 percent of sales.
  • End-market mix is diversified across food and beverages: Food Mix of Packaging Sales was 38.0 percent, Beverage Mix of Packaging Sales was 25.0 percent, and Food Service Mix of Packaging Sales was 21.0 percent.

Bear case

  • Sales declined, and pricing pressure shows up: Reported Net Sales Decline was 7.0 percent, and Price Decline was 2.0 percent (with Price also shown as -2.0 percent in the operational set).
  • Margins are thin: Gross Margin was 14.2 percent and Operating Margin was 0.9 percent, leaving limited cushion if costs rise or demand weakens.
  • Inventory actions may signal demand or supply imbalances: Inventory Reduction was 0.05 USD_B (and Inventory Reduced During the Period was 50000.0 in the provided operational set), which can indicate management needed to adjust to changes in market conditions.
Valuation — source: SEC EDGAR (first-party)
Price$11.96
Market Cap$3.54B
P/E Ratio44.3
EV / EBITDA9.8
Price / Book1.09
Price / Sales0.41
DCF Value (model)$19.14
DCF Upside vs Price60.0%
Profitability & Growth — source: SEC EDGAR
Revenue (TTM)$8.62B
Net Margin5.2%
Revenue Growth (YoY)0.4%
EPS Growth (YoY)-47.8%
FCF Growth (YoY)127.4%
Financial Health — source: SEC EDGAR
Altman Z-Score1.47 (distress)
Piotroski F-Score4/9 (moderate)
Valuation vs Sector & Industry
Stock P/E44.3
Sector P/E (Materials)25.9
Industry P/E (Shipping Containers)38.4
vs Sector70.8%
vs Industry15.2%
Smart-Money Activity — SEC Form 4 / 13F / Congressional disclosures
Top Institutional HolderVANGUARD GROUP INC ($442.44M)
Institutional Holders Tracked10
Congressional Trades (recent)6
Company
SectorMaterials
IndustryShipping Containers
CEORobbert E. Rietbroek
Employees23,000
CountryUS
IPO Date1992-12-10

Related Companies (Business model: Industrials / Capital Goods (Heavy Machinery + Diversified Industrials); 8 closest by market cap; US-domiciled)

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GPK earnings history · GPK institutional & insider holders · GPK KPIs & operating metrics · GPK financials · GPK investor presentations & press releases · GPK SEC filings · GPK peers · Congress trades · Insider trades · Short interest · Stock screener

Data as of 2026-08-21.

Figures sourced from U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC EDGAR) filings and market data. Not personalized investment advice.