GPK
Consumer CyclicalGraphic Packaging Holding Company · Packaging & Containers · $3B
What is Graphic Packaging Holding Company?
Graphic Packaging Holding Company is a mid-cap provider of fiber-based packaging solutions serving food, beverage, foodservice, and consumer products companies across the Americas, Europe, and Asia Pacific. Headquartered in Atlanta, it operates at meaningful scale across the paperboard value chain.
Graphic Packaging manufactures and sells paperboard-based packaging — folding cartons, cups, lids, and food containers — primarily to consumer packaged goods brands and quick-service restaurant chains. The company produces its own paperboard grades and converts them into finished packaging at its own facilities. It also designs and installs specialized packaging machines at customer plants, creating an integrated service relationship that extends beyond a simple materials sale.
Incorporated in 1992 and headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia.
- Coated unbleached kraft (CUK) and recycled paperboard (CRB) substrates
- Folding cartons, cups, lids, and food containers
- Barrier packaging protecting against moisture, grease, and oxygen
- Specialized packaging machine design, installation, and servicing
- Laminated and printed packaging structures for consumer brands
Is GPK a Good Stock to Buy?
UQS Score rates GPK as Below Average overall.
The most notable positive in GPK's profile is its Valuation pillar, which is rated Attractive — suggesting the market may be pricing in more pessimism than the underlying business warrants. For investors focused on entry price relative to fundamentals, this is the clearest bright spot in the current profile.
The Quality, Moat, Growth, and Risk pillars all register as Weak, pointing to a business facing headwinds across profitability, competitive positioning, expansion trajectory, and balance sheet or operational risk factors.
See the exact pillar breakdown and full financial metrics by signing up for a UQS Pro account. Sign up free →
Past performance does not guarantee future results. UQS Score is based on fundamental data and is not a buy/sell recommendation.
Does GPK pay dividends?
Yes — Graphic Packaging Holding Company pays a dividend.
Graphic Packaging pays a regular dividend, which may appeal to income-oriented investors in the packaging sector. Given the capital-intensive nature of paperboard manufacturing, the dividend reflects management's commitment to returning cash to shareholders alongside ongoing investment in operations. Investors should weigh the payout against the company's Weak Risk pillar when assessing sustainability.
When does GPK report earnings?
Graphic Packaging reports earnings on a quarterly cadence, consistent with standard practice for US-listed equities.
The company's recent results reflect the broader pressures facing the fiber-based packaging industry, including input cost volatility and demand variability across its end markets. Growth has been subdued relative to sector peers, consistent with the Weak Growth pillar rating in the UQS framework.
For the most recent quarter's results and guidance, visit Graphic Packaging's investor relations page directly.
GPK Price History
-39.7% over 5Y
Monthly close, adjusted for stock splits and dividend reinvestment.
What if I invested in Graphic Packaging Holding Company?
Based on Graphic Packaging Holding Company's historical closing prices, adjusted for stock splits and dividend reinvestment. Past performance does not guarantee future results. This is for informational purposes only and is not financial advice.
GPK Long-term Outlook
GPK's fundamental outlook is shaped by a combination of Weak Growth and Weak Risk pillar ratings, suggesting limited near-term earnings expansion and meaningful exposure to operational or financial headwinds. The Attractive Valuation pillar indicates the stock may already reflect these challenges in its price. A recovery in packaging demand or successful cost management could improve the trajectory, but the current pillar profile does not point to a near-term inflection.
Growth drivers
- Potential volume recovery in foodservice and consumer packaged goods end markets
- Integrated machine-installation model creating stickier customer relationships
- European expansion providing geographic diversification of revenue
Key risks
- Input cost volatility for fiber and energy weighing on margins
- Elevated financial leverage typical of capital-intensive paperboard operations
- Competitive pricing pressure from alternative packaging materials
GPK vs Peers
Graphic Packaging competes in the fiber and rigid packaging space alongside several specialized players with distinct business profiles.
Greif focuses on industrial packaging — steel and plastic drums, intermediate bulk containers — serving a different end-market mix than GPK's consumer-oriented paperboard business.
Winpak specializes in flexible and rigid packaging for perishable foods and healthcare products, competing on barrier performance rather than paperboard volume.
Ardagh Metal Packaging operates in aluminum beverage cans, making it a direct substitute threat in the beverage packaging segment where GPK competes with paperboard cups and carriers.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does Graphic Packaging do?
Graphic Packaging manufactures fiber-based packaging — folding cartons, cups, lids, and food containers — for food, beverage, and foodservice companies. It also produces its own paperboard substrates and designs packaging machines installed at customer facilities, creating an integrated supply and service model.
Does GPK pay dividends?
Yes, Graphic Packaging pays a regular dividend. The company has maintained a dividend program consistent with its position as an established, capital-intensive manufacturer. Income-focused investors should review the payout alongside the company's debt profile and Risk pillar rating before drawing conclusions about long-term sustainability.
When does GPK report earnings?
Graphic Packaging follows a standard quarterly earnings cadence for US-listed companies. Specific dates are not covered by our data source — check the company's investor relations page or a financial calendar for the next scheduled report.
Is GPK a good stock to buy?
UQS Score rates GPK as Below Average, reflecting Weak readings across Quality, Moat, Growth, and Risk pillars. The Attractive Valuation pillar is the standout positive. Whether that valuation discount compensates for the fundamental weaknesses depends on an investor's risk tolerance and time horizon. The full pillar breakdown is available to Pro members.
Is GPK overvalued?
Based on the UQS Valuation pillar, GPK is rated Attractive — meaning the stock appears to be priced below what the underlying fundamentals might justify on a relative basis. This is the strongest-rated pillar in GPK's current profile, though it should be read alongside the Weak Quality and Risk ratings.
How does GPK compare to its competitors?
GPK sits in the fiber-based consumer packaging niche, distinguishing it from industrial packagers like Greif and metal-focused peers like Ardagh Metal Packaging. Its integrated paperboard-to-finished-package model and machine-installation business create operational ties with customers that pure-material suppliers typically lack. See the competitor section above for more detail.
What is GPK's market cap bracket?
Graphic Packaging is classified as a mid-cap company. This places it in a range that typically attracts both institutional and retail investor interest, though it carries less index weight and analyst coverage depth than large- or mega-cap peers in the broader materials and packaging space.
Who founded Graphic Packaging?
Graphic Packaging was incorporated in 1992. Detailed founding history, including key executives involved at formation, is publicly available through the company's official corporate history and SEC filings for investors who want the full background.
Is GPK a long-term quality investment?
As a long-term quality indicator, GPK's UQS profile raises caution — Weak ratings across Quality, Moat, and Growth suggest the business has not demonstrated the durable competitive advantages or consistent earnings power that typically characterize high-quality long-term holdings. The Attractive Valuation may offer a margin of safety, but it does not offset the broader profile.
What is the main competitive advantage of Graphic Packaging?
GPK's most defensible characteristic is its vertically integrated model — producing its own paperboard and converting it into finished packaging — combined with its machine-installation program that embeds its equipment directly in customer facilities. However, the UQS Moat pillar rates this positioning as Weak relative to sector peers.
What sector does GPK belong to?
Graphic Packaging is classified under the Consumer Cyclical sector. Its revenues are tied to consumer spending patterns, foodservice activity, and the packaging needs of consumer goods companies — making it sensitive to broader economic cycles and shifts in consumer behavior.
Is GPK a growth stock or value stock?
Based on UQS pillar labels, GPK leans toward value territory — the Valuation pillar is Attractive while the Growth pillar is Weak. This profile is more consistent with a value-oriented investment thesis than a growth one, though the underlying business challenges reflected in other pillars temper that framing.
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Pro Analysis
GPK — Score History
| Date | UQS | Quality | Moat | Growth | Risk | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 22, 2026 | 33.1 | 32.9 | 29.0 | 5.4 | 14.3 | 96.2 | -0.7 |
| May 12, 2026 | 33.8 | 32.7 | 29.0 | 5.2 | 18.9 | 96.5 | +1.4 |
| May 10, 2026 | 32.4 | 11.2 | 29.0 | 5.2 | 41.7 | 100.0 | +0.2 |
| May 8, 2026 | 32.2 | 11.2 | 29.0 | 4.7 | 41.7 | 100.0 | -1.4 |
| Apr 26, 2026 | 33.6 | 29.2 | 29.0 | 8.9 | 15.8 | 99.4 | -0.2 |
| Apr 21, 2026 | 33.8 | 29.2 | 29.0 | 10.0 | 15.8 | 99.2 | -0.1 |
| Apr 18, 2026 | 33.9 | 29.2 | 29.0 | 10.2 | 15.8 | 99.4 | 0.0 |
| Apr 2, 2026 | 33.9 | 29.2 | 29.0 | 10.2 | 15.8 | 100.0 | — |
GPK — Pillar Breakdown
Quality
— 32.7/100 (25%)Graphic Packaging Holding Company currently shows below-average quality metrics, suggesting challenges with profitability.
How effectively capital is deployed to generate returns.
Profitability relative to shareholders' equity.
Ability to convert revenue into operating profit.
Bottom-line profit as a share of revenue.
Asset productivity — how much gross profit each dollar of assets generates.
Free cash flow relative to market value.
Growth
— 5.4/100 (20%)Graphic Packaging Holding Company faces growth headwinds with declining or stagnant revenue trends.
Revenue trajectory over the last twelve months.
Compound annual revenue growth rate over 3 years.
Year-over-year earnings per share growth.
Analyst consensus for future revenue growth.
Analyst consensus for future earnings growth.
Risk
— 14.3/100 (15%)Graphic Packaging Holding Company presents elevated risk with concerns around leverage or financial stability.
Debt levels relative to earnings capacity.
Total debt relative to shareholder equity.
Short-term liquidity — ability to pay near-term obligations.
Earnings capacity relative to interest payments.
Valuation
— 96.1/100 (15%)Graphic Packaging Holding Company appears attractively valued relative to its earnings, cash flows, and sector peers.
Inverse of forward P/E — higher yield means cheaper stock.
Enterprise value multiple relative to sector median.
Moat
— 29/100 (25%)Graphic Packaging Holding Company operates in a highly competitive environment with limited sustainable advantages. The Moat pillar evaluates competitive advantages across five dimensions: Switching Costs, Network Effects, Cost Advantage, Intangible Assets, and Scale & Ecosystem. Sign in to customize moat ratings for GPK.
Score Composition
Financial Data
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How is the GPK UQS Score Calculated?
The UQS (Unified Quality Score) for Graphic Packaging Holding Company is calculated using a proprietary 6-pillar framework with 29 financial metrics. Each pillar evaluates a different dimension on a 0–100 scale, then combines into a single weighted score. Scoring thresholds are calibrated per sector. Momentum is an optional Pro toggle — without it, you get the 5-pillar / 25-metric core shown below.
Quality (25%) measures profitability and capital efficiency — ROIC, ROE, margins, GP/Assets, and FCF Yield.
Moat (25%) assesses Graphic Packaging Holding Company's competitive advantages across switching costs, network effects, cost advantages, intangible assets, and ecosystem scale.
Growth (20%) tracks revenue trajectory and earnings momentum, combining historical results with analyst forward estimates.
Risk (15%) is inversely scored — lower leverage and strong balance sheet health result in higher scores.
Valuation (15%) measures whether Graphic Packaging Holding Company is fairly priced using earnings yield, price-to-FCF, PEG ratio, and EV/EBITDA relative to sector peers.
Six investor-inspired presets are available, each with different pillar weights: Balanced, Buffett, Munger, Lynch, Cathie Wood, and Graham. The public score shown here uses the Balanced preset. Learn more in our FAQ.