Graphic Packaging (GPK): Can Its Paper Packaging Business Drive a Turnaround?

Attiya Zainib

Tue, September 1, 2026 at 8:10 PM GMT+3 3 min read

Investment management company First Pacific Advisors recently released its "FPA Queens Road Small Cap Value Fund" second-quarter 2026 investor letter. A copy of the letter can be downloaded here. The Fund returned 27.02% in the first half of 2026, outperforming the Russell 2000 Value Index's 22.99% gain and the S&P 600 Index's 23.90% return. Small-cap earnings growth also began accelerating relative to large caps, while the small-cap technology sector surged nearly 100% in 26H1. The fund's technology holdings gained 72.39%, contributing 14.87 percentage points, compared with a 95.27% return and 7.10-point contribution from the benchmark's technology sector. Excluding IT and cash, the Fund contributed 12.73% versus 15.89% for the Russell 2000 Value Index; on a fully invested basis, the figures were 16.62% and 17.59%, respectively. The portfolio continued to trim appreciated technology holdings amid the AI-driven rally, while maintaining a bottom-up approach and avoiding beaten-down SaaS stocks due to the widening range of AI-related outcomes. The fund also eliminated about $62 million in capital gains during Q2 and approximately $140 million year-to-date through July, while ending the quarter with 10.2% in cash. In addition, please check the Fund's top five holdings to know its best picks in 2026.

In its second-quarter 2026 investor letter, FPA Queens Road Small Cap Value Fund highlighted stocks like Graphic Packaging Holding (NYSE:GPK). Graphic Packaging Holding (NYSE:GPK) produces paperboard packaging and folding cartons primarily for food, beverage, and consumer-products companies. The one-month return of Graphic Packaging Holding (NYSE:GPK) was -5.80% while its shares traded between $8.79 and $22.17 over the last 52 weeks. On August 31, 2026, Graphic Packaging Holding (NYSE:GPK) stock closed at approximately $11.56 per share, with a market capitalization of about $3.31 billion.

FPA Queens Road Small Cap Value Fund stated the following regarding Graphic Packaging Holding (NYSE:GPK) in its Q2 2026 investor letter:

"Graphic Packaging (NYSE:GPK) is a vertically integrated paper packaging manufacturer with plants in the U.S. and Europe. The company is suffering from a combination of weak industry fundamentals, massive cost overruns at its new Waco, TX recycled paperboard plant, and too much debt. In October, CFO Stephen Scherger left to join Amcor and then in December, long-time CEO Mike Doss left under acrimonious circumstances. Although this is a riskier position in the portfolio we are encouraged by GPK's product offerings focused on the current plastic to paper trend in consumer and retail packaging. We currently hold a less than 50 bp position in GPK".

Graphic Packaging (GPK): Can Its Paper Packaging Business Drive a Turnaround?

Graphic Packaging Holding (NYSE:GPK) is not on our list of 40 Most Popular Stocks Among Hedge Funds Heading Into 2026. As per our database, 49 hedge fund portfolios held Graphic Packaging Holding (NYSE:GPK) at the end of the first quarter, which was 48 in the previous quarter. While we acknowledge the risk and potential of Graphic Packaging Holding (NYSE:GPK) as an investment, our conviction lies in the belief that some AI stocks hold greater promise for delivering higher returns and doing so within a shorter time frame. If you're looking for an extremely undervalued AI stock that also stands to benefit significantly from Trump-era tariffs and the onshoring trend, see our free report on thebest short-term AI stock.

In another article, we covered Graphic Packaging Holding (NYSE:GPK) and shared American Century Investments' views on the company. In addition, please check out our hedge fund investor letters Q1 2026 page for more investor letters from hedge funds and other leading investors.

Disclosure: None. This article is originally published at Insider Monkey.

Graphic Packaging (GPK): Can Its Paper Packaging Business Drive a Turnaround?

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