Ascent Group LLC Makes New Investment in Packaging Corporation of America $PKG

Key Points

• Ascent Group LLC acquired a new stake in Packaging Corporation of America (NYSE:PKG) by purchasing 14,110 shares valued at approximately $2.79 million during the 1st quarter.
• Wall Street analysts have mixed ratings for PKG, with a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a target price of $215.40, influenced by various analyst reports that have adjusted their ratings and price targets.
• Packaging Corporation of America declared a quarterly dividend of $1.25 per share, which will be paid on October 15th, representing an annual yield of 2.3%.

Ascent Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Packaging Corporation of America (NYSE:PKG - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm bought 14,110 shares of the industrial products company's stock, valued at approximately $2,794,000.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Meiji Yasuda Life Insurance Co increased its stake in Packaging Corporation of America by 25.3% during the 1st quarter. Meiji Yasuda Life Insurance Co now owns 1,666 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $330,000 after buying an additional 336 shares during the period. Coppell Advisory Solutions LLC increased its stake in Packaging Corporation of America by 2,004.3% during the 1st quarter. Coppell Advisory Solutions LLC now owns 6,776 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $1,342,000 after buying an additional 6,454 shares during the period. United Services Automobile Association acquired a new position in Packaging Corporation of America during the 1st quarter valued at about $433,000. Great Lakes Advisors LLC increased its stake in Packaging Corporation of America by 8.3% during the 1st quarter. Great Lakes Advisors LLC now owns 1,224 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $242,000 after buying an additional 94 shares during the period. Finally, Caxton Associates LLP acquired a new position in Packaging Corporation of America during the 1st quarter valued at about $630,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 89.78% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

PKG has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Jefferies Financial Group cut shares of Packaging Corporation of America from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and lowered their target price for the company from $245.00 to $205.00 in a research note on Monday, June 16th. Truist Financial lowered their price objective on shares of Packaging Corporation of America from $239.00 to $238.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, July 25th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on shares of Packaging Corporation of America from $180.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 10th. UBS Group lifted their price objective on shares of Packaging Corporation of America from $210.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 29th. Finally, Citigroup lifted their price objective on shares of Packaging Corporation of America from $197.00 to $214.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, July 25th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has given a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $215.40.

Packaging Corporation of America Stock Down 0.8%

Shares of PKG stock traded down $1.70 during trading on Friday, hitting $215.33. 471,233 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 836,783. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54, a quick ratio of 2.32 and a current ratio of 3.54. The firm has a market capitalization of $19.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.49, a P/E/G ratio of 1.88 and a beta of 0.87. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $204.93 and its 200 day simple moving average is $196.53. Packaging Corporation of America has a twelve month low of $172.71 and a twelve month high of $250.82.

Packaging Corporation of America (NYSE:PKG - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 23rd. The industrial products company reported $2.48 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.44 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $2.17 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.18 billion. Packaging Corporation of America had a net margin of 10.47% and a return on equity of 20.08%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 4.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company posted $2.20 earnings per share. Packaging Corporation of America has set its Q3 2025 guidance at 2.800-2.800 EPS. As a group, analysts forecast that Packaging Corporation of America will post 10.44 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Packaging Corporation of America Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 15th will be paid a $1.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 15th. This represents a $5.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.3%. Packaging Corporation of America's payout ratio is 49.90%.

About Packaging Corporation of America

Packaging Corporation of America engages in the production of container products. It operates through the following segments: Packaging, Paper, and Corporate and Other. The Packaging segment offers a variety of corrugated packaging products, such as conventional shipping containers. The Paper segment manufactures and sells a range of papers, including communication-based papers, and pressure sensitive papers.