What Happened?

A number of stocks fell in the afternoon session after the 10-year Treasury yield jumped to 5.14%, reaching levels last seen in 2007 and raising borrowing costs across the economy. U.S. stocks fell early Thursday, according to the Associated Press, as surging Treasury yields and rebounding energy prices weighed on financial markets. 

A Treasury yield is the return investors earn for lending money to the U.S. government. The 10-year yield is closely watched because it serves as a benchmark for many other borrowing costs, including mortgages and corporate loans. When it rises, it becomes more expensive for households and businesses to borrow, which can slow spending and investment. Higher yields can also make stocks look less attractive. When investors can earn a relatively safe return of more than 5% from government bonds, some may choose to move money out of riskier assets such as equities. 

Companies that depend on borrowing to fund growth, or whose value is based heavily on expected future profits, often feel this pressure most. Rebounding energy prices added to the strain. Higher fuel costs can raise expenses for businesses and consumers and may keep inflation elevated, which could keep upward pressure on interest rates. Taken together, the jump in yields to their highest level in roughly two decades and the rise in energy prices created a difficult backdrop for stocks across the sector, with many companies moving lower together.

The stock market overreacts to news, and big price drops can present good opportunities to buy high-quality stocks.

Among others, the following stocks were impacted:

• Renewable Energy company Blink Charging (NASDAQ: BLNK) fell 2.6%. Is now the time to buy Blink Charging? Access our full analysis report here, it’s free.
• Construction Machinery company Astec (NASDAQ: ASTE) fell 3.3%. Is now the time to buy Astec? Access our full analysis report here, it’s free.
• Automobile Manufacturing company Lucid (NASDAQ: LCID) fell 0.8%. Is now the time to buy Lucid? Access our full analysis report here, it’s free.
• Air Freight and Logistics company United Parcel Service (NYSE: UPS) fell 3.4%. Is now the time to buy United Parcel Service? Access our full analysis report here, it’s free.
• Industrial Packaging company Graphic Packaging Holding (NYSE: GPK) fell 4.7%. Is now the time to buy Graphic Packaging Holding? Access our full analysis report here, it’s free.

Zooming In On Graphic Packaging Holding (GPK)

Graphic Packaging Holding’s shares are quite volatile and have had 19 moves greater than 5% over the last year. In that context, today’s move indicates the market considers this news meaningful but not something that would fundamentally change its perception of the business.

The biggest move we wrote about over the last year was 5 months ago when the stock gained 10.5% on the news that the company reported first-quarter 2026 financial results that surpassed analyst expectations for both revenue and earnings. The packaging company announced adjusted earnings of $0.09 per share, significantly beating the projected $0.06. Revenue for the quarter reached $2.16 billion, also ahead of the consensus estimate of $2.05 billion. This top-line growth was supported by a 1.7% year-over-year increase in sales and a 1% rise in volumes. 

Despite the beat, the company's profitability declined significantly from the prior year. However, investors focused on the better-than-expected results and the company's decision to reaffirm its full-year guidance, signaling confidence in its business outlook.

Graphic Packaging Holding is down 38.3% since the beginning of the year, and at $9.36 per share, it is trading 52.2% below its 52-week high of $19.57 from September 2025. Investors who bought $1,000 worth of Graphic Packaging Holding’s shares 5 years ago would now be looking at only $480.24.

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