Renaissance Technologies LLC Buys New Position in Packaging Corporation of America $PKG

Key Points

• Renaissance Technologies initiated a new PKG position, purchasing 5,900 shares valued at approximately $1.25 million. Institutional investors collectively own 89.78% of Packaging Corporation of America.
• Packaging Corporation of America reported quarterly EPS of $2.35, beating estimates by $0.04, while revenue increased 14.7% year over year to $2.49 billion. Analysts maintain a “Moderate Buy” consensus rating with an average price target of $264.57.
• PKG shares opened at $257.41, near their 52-week high of $259.98, but company insiders have sold 37,657 shares worth roughly $9.2 million over the past quarter.

Renaissance Technologies LLC bought a new stake in Packaging Corporation of America (NYSE:PKG - Free Report) during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm bought 5,900 shares of the industrial products company's stock, valued at approximately $1,252,000.

Several other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in PKG. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of Packaging Corporation of America by 0.5% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 11,279,442 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $2,326,159,000 after acquiring an additional 51,790 shares during the period. State Street Corp increased its position in Packaging Corporation of America by 1.3% during the fourth quarter. State Street Corp now owns 4,185,761 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $868,349,000 after acquiring an additional 54,884 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its stake in Packaging Corporation of America by 2.5% during the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 3,478,505 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $717,372,000 after purchasing an additional 83,978 shares during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its stake in Packaging Corporation of America by 7.5% during the 4th quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 3,316,670 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $683,997,000 after purchasing an additional 231,474 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD boosted its holdings in Packaging Corporation of America by 2.7% in the 4th quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 2,816,736 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $580,897,000 after purchasing an additional 73,047 shares during the period. 89.78% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Packaging Corporation of America Stock Up 0.4%

Shares of PKG stock opened at $257.41 on Friday. Packaging Corporation of America has a one year low of $191.50 and a one year high of $259.98. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87, a current ratio of 3.07 and a quick ratio of 1.88. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $237.51 and a 200 day moving average price of $226.25. The stock has a market cap of $22.93 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.43, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.42 and a beta of 0.80.

Packaging Corporation of America (NYSE:PKG - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 22nd. The industrial products company reported $2.35 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.31 by $0.04. Packaging Corporation of America had a net margin of 7.25% and a return on equity of 18.96%. The firm had revenue of $2.49 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.49 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $2.48 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 14.7% on a year-over-year basis. Packaging Corporation of America has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 2.910-2.910 EPS. Analysts predict that Packaging Corporation of America will post 10.48 earnings per share for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

PKG has been the topic of several research analyst reports. UBS Group raised their price target on shares of Packaging Corporation of America from $271.00 to $292.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Packaging Corporation of America from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a research report on Tuesday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on shares of Packaging Corporation of America from $269.00 to $271.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, July 24th. Truist Financial lifted their target price on Packaging Corporation of America from $258.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 15th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded Packaging Corporation of America from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and boosted their price target for the company from $225.00 to $256.00 in a research note on Monday, May 4th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have assigned a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $264.57.

Insider Activity

In related news, President Thomas A. Hassfurther sold 7,063 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 7th. The shares were 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 of the company's stock, valued at $51,534,314. This represents a 3.36% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Mark W. Kowlzan sold 9,266 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $217.08, for a total transaction of $2,011,463.28. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 473,610 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $102,811,258.80. This represents a 1.92% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 37,657 shares of company stock worth $9,199,044. 1.60% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Key Headlines Impacting Packaging Corporation of America

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

• Positive Sentiment: UBS raised its price target from $271 to $292 and upgraded its view to “buy.” The new target implies approximately 13.4% upside from the referenced share price, making this the clearest bullish catalyst for PKG. Benzinga report
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks Research increased its Q2 2028 EPS estimate to $3.73 from $3.48 and its FY2028 forecast to $14.56 from $13.99. The upgrades suggest analysts see improved longer-term earnings potential for the packaging manufacturer, supporting the investment case. MarketBeat PKG analyst estimates
• Neutral Sentiment: Packaging Corporation of America recently exceeded quarterly EPS expectations, reporting $2.35 versus the $2.31 consensus estimate, while revenue rose 14.7% year over year to $2.49 billion. However, the stock’s valuation remains elevated at roughly 33 times earnings, which could limit gains if earnings growth slows.
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks lowered its Q3 2026 EPS estimate to $2.91 from $3.07 and trimmed its FY2026 forecast to $10.40 from $10.42. The modest near-term reductions indicate some pressure on expected results, although the Q3 estimate matches the company’s guidance and the longer-term forecasts were raised. MarketBeat PKG earnings estimates
• Negative Sentiment: President Thomas Hassfurther sold 7,063 shares for approximately $1.79 million. The transaction reduced his direct ownership by 3.36% and may concern investors, though he continues to hold roughly 202,891 shares. InsiderTrades report on the executive sale

Packaging Corporation of America 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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