Karat Packaging FY2026 EPS Forecast Reduced by William Blair

Karat Packaging Inc. (NASDAQ:KRT) – Equities researchers at William Blair lowered their FY2026 earnings estimates for Karat Packaging in a report issued on Thursday, January 2nd. William Blair analyst R. Merkel now forecasts that the company will post earnings per share of $1.96 for the year, down from their prior forecast of $2.20. William Blair currently has a “Market Perform” rating on the stock. The consensus estimate for Karat Packaging’s current full-year earnings is $1.66 per share.

Separately, Stifel Nicolaus upped their target price on shares of Karat Packaging from $32.00 to $36.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 11th.

Karat Packaging Stock Performance

KRT opened at $29.84 on Friday. Karat Packaging has a 52-week low of $22.51 and a 52-week high of $33.14. The company has a market cap of $597.52 million, a PE ratio of 21.31 and a beta of 1.08. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a quick ratio of 1.82 and a current ratio of 3.12. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $29.93 and a 200-day moving average of $27.96.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Karat Packaging

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in KRT. US Bancorp DE purchased a new stake in shares of Karat Packaging during the third quarter valued at $30,000. Copeland Capital Management LLC bought a new position in Karat Packaging during the third quarter valued at approximately $49,000. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC raised its stake in Karat Packaging by 497.7% during the third quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 3,676 shares of the company’s stock valued at $95,000 after purchasing an additional 3,061 shares in the last quarter. Rhumbline Advisers grew its position in Karat Packaging by 4.4% in the second quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 9,203 shares of the company’s stock worth $272,000 after acquiring an additional 387 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Kings Path Partners LLC purchased a new position in Karat Packaging during the third quarter worth $401,000. 25.20% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Karat Packaging Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 29th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, November 20th were issued a $0.40 dividend. This is a boost from Karat Packaging’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.35. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.36%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, November 20th. Karat Packaging’s dividend payout ratio is presently 114.29%.

About Karat Packaging

Karat Packaging Inc, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the manufacture and distribution of single-use disposable products in plastic, paper, biopolymer-based, and other compostable forms used in various restaurant and foodservice settings. It provides food and take-out containers, bags, tableware, cups, lids, cutlery, straws, specialty beverage ingredients, equipment, gloves, and other products under the Karat Earth brand.