National Pension Service Raises Holdings in Packaging Corporation of America $PKG

Key Points

• National Pension Service increased its stake in Packaging Corporation of America by 13% in the fourth quarter, buying 6,123 additional shares and bringing its holding to 53,121 shares valued at about $10.96 million.
• Insider selling was reported as CEO Mark W. Kowlzan sold 9,266 shares for roughly $2.01 million, though he still holds more than 473,000 shares worth about $102.8 million.
• Packaging Corporation of America raised its dividend to $1.50 per quarter from $1.25, implying a $6.00 annual payout and a 2.7% yield, while the company also beat earnings estimates in its latest quarterly report.

National Pension Service lifted its stake in Packaging Corporation of America (NYSE:PKG - Free Report) by 13.0% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 53,121 shares of the industrial products company's stock after buying an additional 6,123 shares during the quarter. National Pension Service owned approximately 0.06% of Packaging Corporation of America worth $10,955,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Packaging Corporation of America in the third quarter worth about $485,000. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Packaging Corporation of America by 10.0% in the third quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 220,499 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $48,053,000 after buying an additional 20,016 shares during the last quarter. GRIMES & Co WEALTH MANAGEMENT LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Packaging Corporation of America in the fourth quarter worth about $4,664,000. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund boosted its stake in shares of Packaging Corporation of America by 13.4% in the third quarter. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund now owns 51,570 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $11,239,000 after buying an additional 6,092 shares during the last quarter. Finally, PNC Financial Services Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Packaging Corporation of America by 10.1% in the fourth quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 68,314 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $14,088,000 after buying an additional 6,257 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 89.78% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity at Packaging Corporation of America

In related news, CEO Mark W. Kowlzan sold 9,266 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 sale, the chief executive officer owned 473,610 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $102,811,258.80. This trade represents a 1.92% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Corporate insiders own 1.60% of the company's stock.

Packaging Corporation of America Stock Performance

NYSE PKG opened at $218.74 on Monday. The company has a market cap of $19.49 billion, a PE ratio of 26.61, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.98 and a beta of 0.81. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $213.01 and its 200-day simple moving average is $214.75. Packaging Corporation of America has a 1-year low of $184.76 and a 1-year high of $249.51. 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 (NYSE:PKG - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, April 22nd. The industrial products company reported $2.40 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.17 by $0.23. The business had revenue of $2.37 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.45 billion. Packaging Corporation of America had a return on equity of 19.27% and a net margin of 8.04%.The business's quarterly revenue was up 10.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.31 earnings per share. Packaging Corporation of America has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 2.330-2.330 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Packaging Corporation of America will post 10.81 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Packaging Corporation of America Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 15th will be given a $1.50 dividend. This represents a $6.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.7%. This is a boost from Packaging Corporation of America's previous quarterly dividend of $1.25. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 15th. Packaging Corporation of America's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 60.83%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

PKG has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Truist Financial restated a "buy" rating and issued a $258.00 target price (down from $260.00) on shares of Packaging Corporation of America in a research note on Monday, April 27th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on Packaging Corporation of America from $225.00 to $246.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, April 24th. Citigroup lowered their price target on Packaging Corporation of America from $227.00 to $217.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 14th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on Packaging Corporation of America from $234.00 to $226.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 7th. Finally, UBS Group upgraded Packaging Corporation of America from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and increased their price target for the stock from $232.00 to $248.00 in a research report on Wednesday, May 20th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have assigned a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Packaging Corporation of America presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $236.57.

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.

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