GPK Graphic Packaging Holding+21.2%Stock moveEarnings and guidance

Graphic Packaging Stock Jumps 21% on Third-Quarter Results and Cash Flow Gains

The packaging maker reported a sharp drop in quarterly profit but said adjusted cash flow for the first nine months reached $314 million and reaffirmed its full-year cash flow outlook.

By Zintick Team · Editor: Kratik Mehta
Published Nov. 3, 2026, 10 p.m. ET

Perforated sheets of corrugated cardboard by stack on pallets - after assembly it will be cardboard boxes. Packaging of finis — Photo: Pedal to the Stock/Shutterstock.com

Key points

GPK rose 21.2% on Nov. 3, 2026, after reporting third-quarter 2026 results and reaffirming cash flow guidance
Q3 net sales were $2,192 million, flat year over year; net income fell to $22 million from $142 million
Year-to-date adjusted cash flow was $314 million, up $646 million from the first nine months of 2025
Full-year 2026 adjusted cash flow guidance of $600 million to $700 million was reaffirmed

Graphic Packaging Holding Co (NYSE: GPK) rose 21.2% on Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026, closing at $11.31 against a previous close of $9.33, while the S&P 500 ETF (SPY) gained 0.30%. The stock traded on roughly 3.2 times its normal volume. The move came the same morning the company released third-quarter 2026 results in an 8-K filed at 8:10 a.m. ET, with the press release attached as Exhibit 99.1.

Cash flow offsets a weaker quarter

Third-quarter net sales were $2,192 million, essentially flat from $2,190 million a year earlier, with volumes up 1%. Net income fell to $22 million, or $0.07 per diluted share, from $142 million, or $0.48, a year earlier. Adjusted EBITDA dropped to $289 million from $383 million, and the adjusted EBITDA margin narrowed to 13.2% from 17.5%.

The company pointed to $83 million of commodity input and operating cost inflation as the main drag on adjusted EBITDA.

Cash and debt figures

Year-to-date adjusted cash flow reached $314 million, up $646 million from the first nine months of 2025. The company reaffirmed its full-year 2026 adjusted cash flow range of $600 million to $700 million. Net debt fell to $5,183 million at the end of the third quarter, though the net leverage ratio rose to 4.8x from 3.8x at year-end 2025.

Full-year guidance

Graphic Packaging expects 2026 net sales of about $8.6 billion, adjusted EBITDA of about $1.05 billion and adjusted EPS of about $0.65. The release did not link the share-price move to any single item beyond these results and outlook.