Packaging Corporation of America (NYSE:PKG) Announces Earnings Results

Packaging Corporation of America (NYSE:PKG) issued its earnings results on Wednesday. The industrial products company reported $2.40 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.17 by $0.23, Zacks reports. The company had revenue of $2.37 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.45 billion. Packaging Corporation of America had a return on equity of 19.20% and a net margin of 8.04%.Packaging Corporation of America’s quarterly revenue was up 10.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $2.31 earnings per share. Packaging Corporation of America updated its Q2 2026 guidance to 2.330-2.330 EPS.

Packaging Corporation of America Trading Down 1.5%

NYSE:PKG opened at $211.87 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $18.86 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.80, a PEG ratio of 1.87 and a beta of 0.90. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.86, a quick ratio of 1.94 and a current ratio of 3.17. Packaging Corporation of America has a 1 year low of $178.30 and a 1 year high of $249.51. The business has a fifty day moving average of $218.26 and a 200-day moving average of $212.53.

Packaging Corporation of America Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 13th were given a dividend of $1.25 per share. This represents a $5.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 13th. Packaging Corporation of America’s payout ratio is 58.34%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts recently issued reports on the company. Truist Financial cut their price target on Packaging Corporation of America from $267.00 to $260.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday. Weiss Ratings downgraded Packaging Corporation of America from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research note on Friday, February 27th. Citigroup cut their target price on Packaging Corporation of America from $227.00 to $217.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 14th. Argus raised shares of Packaging Corporation of America to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, February 26th. Finally, UBS Group lowered their price target on shares of Packaging Corporation of America from $235.00 to $225.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, April 10th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have given a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Packaging Corporation of America presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $229.00.

Insider Buying and Selling at Packaging Corporation of America

In related news, President Thomas A. Hassfurther sold 12,129 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $230.50, for a total value of $2,795,734.50. Following the completion of the sale, the president owned 197,062 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $45,422,791. This represents a 5.80% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 1.60% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Packaging Corporation of America

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. DV Equities LLC bought a new position in shares of Packaging Corporation of America in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Towarzystwo Funduszy Inwestycyjnych PZU SA raised its holdings in Packaging Corporation of America by 94.1% during the fourth quarter. Towarzystwo Funduszy Inwestycyjnych PZU SA now owns 165 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 80 shares in the last quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. lifted its position in Packaging Corporation of America by 40.4% in the first quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 198 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $39,000 after purchasing an additional 57 shares during the period. Advisory Services Network LLC bought a new position in Packaging Corporation of America during the 3rd quarter valued at $61,000. Finally, State of Wyoming boosted its stake in Packaging Corporation of America by 58.1% during the 4th quarter. State of Wyoming now owns 294 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $61,000 after purchasing an additional 108 shares in the last quarter. 89.78% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Packaging Corporation of America News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Packaging Corporation of America this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 EPS beat street expectations — GAAP and adjusted results showed strength (adjusted EPS $2.40 vs. consensus $2.17), driven by pricing and operational efficiencies that support margin resilience. Packaging Corporation of America Reports First Quarter 2026 Results
• Positive Sentiment: Management highlighted strong pricing power and operational improvements that underpin near-term profitability as price benefits continue to build. Packaging Corp posts higher quarterly profit on strong pricing power, operational efficiency
• Neutral Sentiment: Revenue rose year-over-year but missed the consensus ($2.37B reported vs. ~$2.45B expected), suggesting demand/pricing mix offset by volume or customer mix issues. Packaging Corporation of America Q1 report summary
• Neutral Sentiment: Investors can review the full earnings call and transcript for management detail on drivers and timing of price benefits. PKG Q1 2026 Earnings Call Transcript
• Neutral Sentiment: The stock’s post-earnings pop earlier this week occurred on lighter-than-normal volume, which raises the risk of short-term profit-taking and volatility. Packaging Corporation of America Stock Price Up Following Earnings Beat
• Negative Sentiment: Management set Q2 EPS guidance at $2.33, below consensus (~$2.52), which pressures short-term expectations and is a primary reason investors trimmed positions. PCA expects $2.33 in Q2 2026 EPS
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst commentary has turned cautious: some firms have trimmed expectations or flagged valuation as stretched despite the solid quarter, adding selling pressure. Truist Lowers Expectations for PKG
• Negative Sentiment: Independent analysis notes the stock’s valuation remains full after the rally, which limits upside and makes the name vulnerable to negative guidance or macro headwinds. Valuation Remains Full Despite a Solid Q1

About Packaging Corporation of America

Packaging Corporation of America (NYSE: PKG) is a leading North American manufacturer of containerboard and corrugated packaging products. The company produces a range of paper-based packaging solutions including linerboard, corrugating medium, corrugated shipping containers, retail-ready packaging and point-of-purchase displays. In addition to core packaging products, Packaging Corporation of America offers packaging design, testing and supply-chain services intended to optimize protection, cost and sustainability for customers.

Headquartered in Lake Forest, Illinois, the company operates an integrated network of mills and corrugated manufacturing facilities across the United States and serves customers throughout North America in industries such as e-commerce, grocery and food & beverage, consumer packaged goods and industrial markets.