Zacks Research Issues Optimistic Estimate for PKG Earnings

Packaging Corporation of America (NYSE:PKG) – Equities researchers at Zacks Research upped their Q4 2026 earnings estimates for shares of Packaging Corporation of America in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday, August 12th. Zacks Research analyst Team now anticipates that the industrial products company will post earnings of $2.75 per share for the quarter, up from their previous estimate of $2.62. The consensus estimate for Packaging Corporation of America’s current full-year earnings is $10.48 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Packaging Corporation of America’s Q1 2027 earnings at $2.88 EPS, Q2 2027 earnings at $2.97 EPS, Q3 2027 earnings at $3.35 EPS, Q4 2027 earnings at $3.23 EPS, FY2027 earnings at $12.44 EPS and Q1 2028 earnings at $3.23 EPS.

Several other equities analysts have also recently issued reports on PKG. UBS Group raised their price objective on Packaging Corporation of America from $271.00 to $292.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Packaging Corporation of America from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a report on Tuesday. Citigroup increased their target price on shares of Packaging Corporation of America from $241.00 to $254.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 28th. Truist Financial raised their target price on shares of Packaging Corporation of America from $258.00 to $270.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 15th. Finally, Bank of America boosted their price target on shares of Packaging Corporation of America from $242.00 to $263.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 14th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have issued a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $264.57.

Packaging Corporation of America Trading Up 0.4%

Shares of PKG opened at $257.41 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $22.93 billion, a PE ratio of 33.43, a P/E/G ratio of 2.42 and a beta of 0.80. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $237.51 and its two-hundred day moving average is $226.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87, a current ratio of 3.07 and a quick ratio of 1.88. Packaging Corporation of America has a 12 month low of $191.50 and a 12 month high of $259.98.

Packaging Corporation of America (NYSE:PKG) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 22nd. The industrial products company reported $2.35 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.31 by $0.04. Packaging Corporation of America had a return on equity of 18.96% and a net margin of 7.25%.The company had revenue of $2.49 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.49 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.48 earnings per share. Packaging Corporation of America’s revenue was up 14.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Packaging Corporation of America has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 2.910-2.910 EPS.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Packaging Corporation of America

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Benchmark Financial Wealth Advisors LLC raised its stake in Packaging Corporation of America by 2.1% during the 4th quarter. Benchmark Financial Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 2,345 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $484,000 after purchasing an additional 48 shares during the period. River Street Advisors LLC grew its stake in Packaging Corporation of America by 1.0% during the 4th quarter. River Street Advisors LLC now owns 5,362 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,106,000 after acquiring an additional 51 shares in the last quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Packaging Corporation of America by 5.2% in the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 1,045 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $218,000 after purchasing an additional 52 shares during the period. TD Private Client Wealth LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Packaging Corporation of America by 2.9% during the fourth quarter. TD Private Client Wealth LLC now owns 1,929 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $398,000 after purchasing an additional 54 shares during the period. Finally, Geneos Wealth Management Inc. increased its stake in Packaging Corporation of America by 40.4% in the 1st quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 198 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $39,000 after buying an additional 57 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 89.78% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Packaging Corporation of America

In related news, President Thomas A. Hassfurther sold 7,063 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, August 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $254.00, for a total value of $1,794,002.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the president owned 202,891 shares in the company, valued at $51,534,314. This trade represents a 3.36% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Mark W. Kowlzan sold 9,266 shares of Packaging Corporation of America stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $217.08, for a total value of $2,011,463.28. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 473,610 shares in the company, valued at $102,811,258.80. This represents a 1.92% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 37,657 shares of company stock valued at $9,199,044. Corporate insiders own 1.60% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Packaging Corporation of America

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

• Positive Sentiment: Improved longer-term earnings outlook: Zacks Research raised its FY2027 EPS estimate to $12.44 from $12.08 and its FY2028 estimate to $14.56 from $13.99. The firm also increased several quarterly estimates, including Q4 2026 to $2.75 from $2.62 and Q2 2027 to $2.97 from $2.79. These revisions suggest stronger expected earnings momentum beyond the current year.
• Positive Sentiment: Higher forward quarterly estimates: Zacks lifted its Q1 2027 EPS forecast to $2.88, Q3 2027 to $3.35, Q4 2027 to $3.23 and Q1 2028 to $3.23. Collectively, the revisions reinforce the positive longer-term earnings narrative for PKG.
• Neutral Sentiment: Mixed near-term revisions: Zacks modestly reduced its Q3 2026 EPS forecast to $2.91 from $3.07 and FY2026 EPS to $10.40 from $10.42. However, the current-year estimate remains close to the broader consensus of $10.48 per share.
• Negative Sentiment: Insider share sale: Thomas Hassfurther sold 7,063 PKG shares. While insider selling can raise caution about management’s near-term view, a single transaction does not necessarily indicate a change in the company’s fundamentals. Thomas Hassfurther Sells 7,063 Shares of Packaging Corporation of America Stock

Packaging Corporation of America Company Profile

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.